Battousai's Apprentice
by Bloody9Fox
Summary: Dark!Naruto, but later Evil!Naruto. After training under the Battousai ever since he was four, Naruto is forced to come back to Konoha after the Battousai's death. Unlike his sensei though, Naruto will become strong using his hatred. Naruto/FemHaku
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sorry guys, but I need to do it. Ahem, I do not own the manga, or television series, in regards to Naruto. I don't own anything having to do with Rurouni Kenshin, nor Samurai X either. Ok, now that's over with, read on.

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Authors Note: Later on in the story, there will be a flashback chapter so the reader can have a greater idea of what's going on. Yes, I'm carrying on my story that way instead of starting the introduction at the beginning. This is because I originally was just going to give up on the idea of writing any fanfic, because of time issues, so had deleted the introduction part. So I'll either attempt to recover it using my forensic skills or just write another one. Yes...I believe that's all than. It's not that I expect many people to read this author note though, because usually I'm too lazy to do that as well. I'm such a Shik character eh?

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_**Battousai's Aprrentice: Chapter 1**_

After Iruka, an academy instructor, was able to get the class to quiet down, he began announcing to the students what teams they would be placed on.

As for Naruto, well, he just looked outside the window and watched the clouds drift by.

After a few long minutes, Naruto started to pay attention to the teacher again when he heard his name being announced.

"Team 7 will consist of Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura."

Once Iruka finished announcing who would be on Team 7, Naruto went back to staring out the window again, thinking about the past. He didn't really care about who was on his team. He just kept thinking of ways to escape from this village.

As for Sakura, she would have been cheering like crazy had she not been outside with a Chuunin teacher who was watching over her, waiting to see which team she would be put on.

Sasuke simply chose to sigh. '_Great. My biggest fangirl in the village is on my team. She'll definitely get in my way later on. Normally, it would be even worse by having the deadlast on my team. Not to mention that just being on a team would only serve to hinder me. However, since the legendary Battousai trained Naruto, perhaps the situation won't be so bad after all. Yes, someone worthy to test my abilities against. Though, a deadlast is just a deadlast, and he has no clan. So he's still below an_ Uchiha_._'

Sasuke had a small confident smirk.

After Iruka was done announcing the teams, he sat back down on his desk and gave the class instructions, "Please wait here for your Jounin sensei. They should be here very soon." And with that, Iruka quickly left to go outside to inform Sakura of her team placement. Well, that and to allow her to come back inside the academy.

_Meanwhile..._

Sasuke was staring intently at Naruto as the blond samurai had lazily decided to light up a cigarette and take a drag out of it before exhaling the smoke into the air. After Naruto had lit up his cigarette, he continued to stare at his desk as if he was deep in thought.

Sasuke just shrugged before going back to his daily brooding while the rest of the kids in the class were filled with excitement over graduating.

_A few minutes later..._

Iruka walked back into the classroom followed by a cheering and joyful Haruno Sakura, who was very happy to have her precious Sasuke-kun on her team. She really didn't care about the new kid on her team though, because to her he's just a dobe who better not get in the way of her love.

After being quickly reprimanded by Iruka about her past behavior, Sakura simply shrugged her shoulders in a disrespectful manner before skipping over to Sasuke and sitting beside him. It wasn't too long until she started fawning over the pretty boy.

Iruka almost felt sorry for him, but than he felt comforted by the fact that it wasn't him having to deal with such annoyances.

After that thought, Iruka decided to sit down and wait with the students until every Jounin teacher would arrive to pick up their respective team.

As for Naruto, well, he was going to just sit in his seat and smoke a cigarette. After awhile though, a few of the kids in the classroom started coughing and moved away from him.

Iruka snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the coughing that was going on, and when he saw the cause of it, had an annoyed look on his face.

Naruto took one more drag out of his cigarette before flickering it out of the window. When he turned his attention back to the classroom, he saw a few kids looking at him with annoyed looks on their faces, especially Iruka.

Naruto just shrugged before pulling out a lighter and preparing to smoke another one.

"Ahem!"

Naruto turned to look at Iruka.

"Excuse me De-, I mean Naruto, but besides the fact that you're way too young to be smoking, could you please not smoke inside the classroom?" Iruka asked with an irritable tone in his voice.. "Not everyone wants to smell your smoke or catch your little habit!"

Naruto just shrugged once again before putting his lighter and cigarette away and then going to sleep while still sitting up in his chair.

After a few minutes went by, Jounin instructors began arriving to pick up their assigned teams. Two hours later, Iruka and Team 7 were the only people left in the room.

Naruto was still asleep, while Sakura continued fawning over an annoyed and brooding Sasuke. Thirty more minutes went by before Iruka announced that he had to go to a teacher meeting, and wished good luck to Team 7 before exiting the room. Naruto woke up at that time and looked around, noticing that his team's teacher still hadn't shown up yet. He didn't need a clock to know that him and his teammates have been in that classroom for a long time now. Longer time than they should have been to wait for their Jounin instructor.

Naruto simply sighed, catching the attention of Sakura who at that time ceased her flirting with the last Uchiha when she started to become very angry at having to wait so long for their tardy sensei.

"What's up with you?" Sakura asked with the same haughty voice that all Harunos have when they look down on someone, which by the way they do a lot. Naruto stared at her for a few seconds, before slamming his hand on his desk, which shocked Sasuke out of his brooding. The young blond stood up out of his desk.

"Fuck this shit."

Sakura and Sasuke blushed at Naruto's use of language.

"I'm not going to waste my time like this. If our sensei even shows up, tell him that I got tired of waiting and went to spend my time on something more productive. I've already wasted two hours and a half of my life with this bullshit. Fuck it, and if I had my way, fuck Konoha." And with that, Naruto started to walk quickly out of the room.

However, just before he reached the door, Sasuke jumped out of his desk and ran up to Naruto.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a confused expression, wondering what the Uchiha wanted.

"I'm coming too dobe. I'm not going to stay here with that crazy fangirl while you get to skip out."

Naruto just shrugged, which is something he's been doing a lot lately, and continued to walk out while Sasuke followed him.

As for Sakura, she sat there in her desk, dumbfounded for a minute, before snapping back to reality and chasing after her precious Sasuke-kun.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 2**_

Naruto walked out of the ninja academy and gracefully glided down a path through the rest of Konoha. Sasuke by then was walking beside him and keeping quiet, trying to decipher anything about his mysterious teammate for power.

As for Sakura, she was still walking behind them. "Wait for me!" she yelled.

Of course, Naruto and Sasuke only started to walk faster after hearing her screeches.

When the chaotic team of three walked a good distance, Naruto suddenly stopped and turned to look at Sasuke.

Sakura though was still being ignored.

"Why are you choosing to follow me Sasuke? I have a feeling it's not because you wish to know me on a personal level or such other trivial matters," Naruto said.

Sasuke shuddered at the sad look in Naruto's eyes, before giving an arrogant smirk. "You're right dobe, I didn't. Seems like you are smarter than a dead last in class is supposed to be," he said. "Still, you're a dobe, so it doesn't even matter. But what I wanted to talk to you about was the training a nobody like you got from the legendary Battousai. Teach me everything you know from your training with him. After all, an Uchiha is superior to someone like you. If it's anyone that deserves that training, it's me."

Sakura started to swoon and cheer for her crush in the background.

Naruto just gave a dead stare at Sasuke, unnerving the hell out of the weak Uchiha because it was so similar to his dreaded brother's stare, before he looked at the clouds and lit up a cigarette.

Naruto did not care about any insults the Uchiha spewed, since he felt much worse than simple words that the human voice box is capable of producing.

Sakura took notice of Naruto's smoking and decided to ask a question. "Hey dead last, aren't you a little too young to be doing that? And besides, it's bad for your health, not that I care or any-," but she was quickly interrupted by Sasuke.

"Sakura...shut up."

Sakura turned her attention towards Sasuke as she blushed heavily, "Sure Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke than went back to his conversation with Naruto. "Well,what's it going to be?"

Naruto stared at them for a few minutes, earning a tickmark on Sasuke's eyebrow, before he decided to answer. "What would I get out of it Sasuke? Surely there is some sort of trade that could be made?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a confused look on his face. "What is that supposed to mean dobe? I don't get what you're saying..." Sasuke shook his head as he was bewildered by what the blond was talking about.

As for Naruto himself, he just released a small sigh before making a suggestion. "Would you be willing to lend your support to me for certain...events, or perhaps handing over various Uchiha secrets. Perhaps...a favor?"

Sasuke's look darkened before he decided to give an answer. "No. The only favor you will get is the honor to train an Uchiha," he said. "I'm already lowering myself to great shame by asking for assistance from a nobody. I absolutely refuse to lower myself further than that. So I demand you teach me, or I'll beat it out of you."

"Yeah, do what Sasuke-kun says loser!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto just continued to stare at Sasuke without ever changing his expression, much to the little Uchiha's frustration.

Suddenly, Naruto whispered to Sasuke, but loud enough for Sakura to hear, "Walk with me Sasuke, and you may receive some of my knowledge, or you may not. It just depends on how our conversation goes," he said. "But if you choose not to follow, than it's your choice."

And so Naruto started to leave.

After Naruto was a block away, Sakura shivered. "What a freak," she said. "Maybe he wouldn't be so sad all the time if he didn't act like that that, huh Sasuke-kun?" she said.

Sasuke just ignored her and was still staring off into the direction Naruto was walking to, before he signed in resignation and followed his blond teammate.

Sakura was quick to catch up with the Uchiha.

After just five minutes of walking away, Naruto heard Sasuke yell.

"Hey dobe! Wait up!"

The Uchiha himself ran up and started to walk beside him as Sakura tried to get as close to Sasuke as she could.

When Sasuke reached him, Sakura starting to whine. "Just where are we going! Aren't we going to miss our sensei!"

Sasuke snorted at that and Naruto released a sigh before he answered. "We're going to a place away from privy eyes. We're almost there."

Sakura just sighed depressingly and Sasuke smirked. "Whatever dobe, but I just want that sort of training you got," he said.

All Naruto did was whisper softly, but more to himself, "We will see." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him, before deciding that the young samurai was just weird.

_Later on_

Team 7 reached the Hokage monument as Naruto stopped and stared at the village of Konoha for a few seconds before lighting another cigarette and continuing to stand there with his back to Sasuke and Sakura.

"You don't remind me very much of your big brother Sasuke," Naruto said.

At this the weakest Uchiha's eyes widened, while Sakura was just real confused about what was going on.

"I met him...a few days ago when I entered Fire Country. I didn't have enough money to buy some ramen at that time, so he paid for it as an act of generosity. He was a pleasant man to talk to."

At this point Sasuke snapped and snarled at Naruto. "Pleasant! You're saying Itachi is pleasant! I don't believe a butcher like him would be generous. That so-called, pleasant man you met wasn't so damn generous when he slaughtered everyone in my clan but me!"

By this point Sasuke's eyes were watering and he was clenching his fists so hard that they were starting to bleed.

"Yes, he did inform me about being an S-Class criminal, but he never told me what he did to earn such a status. Though, I was able to tell that he was dangerous, that much was for sure. But I believed that as long as I didn't cross him, than there would be no trouble at that current time," Naruto calmly said. "Yes...everything Itachi told me about you makes sense now," he muttered as he began to ponder about the meeting he had with the older Uchiha brother.

By this point, Sasuke was enraged and started to walk towards Naruto so he could grab him by the throat and make demands concerning information about his hated brother. However, just when he took one step, Naruto turned around, still wearing that sad face, and said something that stopped Sasuke right in his tracks, and perhaps changed his life forever.

"Sasuke, I will be honest with you. I've looked up information about your brother's records in this village, but I had forgotten to look up information concerning the crime he committed. From the information gathered, he was a true prodigy. He was basically power incarnated. I have great respect for your brother Sasuke. For someone to have such power and be able to slaughter one of the most powerful clans in the Leaf is far from a small feat. If you remember correctly, he was rising in the ranks when he was still your age. Now, at first it would be easy to conclude that there are too many false claims of prodigies, and people like you could be placed in that category when compared to Itachi. However, there are unique factors regarding your potential. First of all, before I say anything else, I want you to understand that while Itachi has a lot in talent in all sorts of areas in the ninja arts, he's probably the worst when it comes to teaching or making sure to speak clearly enough without being so cryptic. And I believe that's why you're not fully reaching your potential like he asked you to. Not only that, but according to him, your family placed a lot more training on him than they did on you. He also told me that he received more opportunities and support from the clan in his ninja career, and that's why he was able to rise in the ranks so quickly. I'm very sure that those are some of the reasons why you're so behind your brother. It doesn't mean you're weak though Sasuke. After all, you've already gained the title, 'Rookie of the Year,' by being the strongest Genin in the class. Congratulations on that achievement considering the setbacks you faced," Naruto said.

And here is where Naruto really started to lie. "However, there is one main problem that is holding your potential back the most...and it's something that that I can help you with so I can effectively start training you in my master's style..."

Sasuke was still angry and actually fixing to charge Naruto right then and there, while Sakura was just looking at the tension between the two in confusion.

However, when Sasuke heard the words, _**'training you,' **_he was hooked line and sinker. In reality, Sasuke had absolutely no idea he was setting himself up to be serving as a pawn for Naruto to use in the future. He immediately calmed down, but still held Naruto with a fierce and hateful glare before grinding his teeth.

"And what's that!" Sasuke hissed.

Naruto just calmly answered once again. "Your hatred Sasuke. Your hatred. Not something that I've even mastered yet, but that's mostly because I still have some sort of fear built into me concerning the mastering of such a dangerous emotion," he said. "Not to mention a past that always leaves me too weak with sadness to fully master hatred."

Naruto looked down towards the ground after saying that, thinking of his sensei and how his nesan, Tomoe, had betrayed and saved Kenshin all at once in the end.

Sasuke stared wide-eyed at Naruto before stuttering, "H-h-he...he...he tol-...told you about th-..that? Ab-ab-about what he said to me about ha-hatre-hatred?

Naruto nodded. "Yes. He said he told you about it before. However, as I mentioned previously, I seriously doubt Itachi would have ever made a good teacher, since he provided very little detail when he explained about hatred to you. Keep in mind that he never mentioned what his crime was. He just talked about whatever advice he gave you in the past. You see Sasuke, you almost have enough hatred in you, but that aspect can't be completed in regards to you by simply taking a life. No, the hard part, which is what Itachi apparently forgot to mention to you about, was controlling your hatred. Learning how to properly channel and apply it. Many people believe that hatred is an emotion that is simple to use in battle because of how almost anyone can just be angry enough to fight with more power. However, such an action is similar to a mindless beast that can only charge in rage at others. There's no art, no beauty, or any grace when people try to use hatred like that. It just doesn't work. Itachi uses all three elements with his hatred, almost like an art... As for you Sasuke, I'm sorry, but you've been using hatred by just charging in with no coherent thought or sufficient logic. That's the wrong way. It's actually another main reason why Itachi is so much more powerful than you. But I do believe your chances of reaching his level will become really high compared to how you are currently if you learn to use your hatred properly. I still need to completely master mine, and I got this feeling it will be very soon..."

Naruto spaced off for a few seconds before coming back to reality and shaking his head.

"I can start with the basics of using hatred, but don't except easy treatment because of your clan. It's more of a favor to your older brother and out of my respect for him," Naruto lied.

Sasuke just nodded with a serious look on his face before he caught on what else Naruto said and began narrowing his eyes anger while shaking in fury. "Why is my brother having anything to do with your decision to train me dobe!" Sasuke demanded.

Naruto just shook his head and put out his cigarette before looking back over the village and started to explain. "Because...well, I think before I explain, Sakura needs to leave, she doesn't need to hear the rest of this."

Sakura got mad and began yelling at Naruto. "Baka! Anything having to do with my Sasuke-kun has to do with me too, you got that you freak?"

Naruto just looked at her as he thought, _'Hmm, I could make use of that girl using her strong dedication to the Uchiha here. Of course, I'm not sure how much use she could provide. She'd most likely be more of use for some sort of cannon fodder or sacrifice for any goal I have. Very well, it's best to make use of any pawn that becomes available I suppose._'

By this point, Sakura was still yelling at him. "Hey! Don't you just ignore me loser! My mom's on the council and you're too beneath me to just brush me off like that!"

Naruto continued to ignore her almost worthless existence and turned his attention back towards the Uchiha.

"Sasuke, tell your wench, follower, or whatever she is to you, to be silent and return back to the academy," Naruto ordered.

Sasuke scowled at being ordered around, but he wasn't ready to pass up the chance for learning anything related to the Battousai so he could kill his brother. He wouldn't give up something that big for a little pride and an annoying pink-haired banshee.

Of course, Sakura, quickly retorted. "STOP IGNORING ME! I'm right here, so just come to my face and say that you whiskered jerk!" she screeched. "And another thing, don't you dare boss Sas-," but that's as far as she got before Sasuke quickly shut her up.

"Sakura!" Sasuke hissed at the weak girl as he glared at her.

Sakura quickly cowered under his glare. "Ye-..es...Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha was quick to command her. "Shut your mouth and wait for us at the academy," he said. "We'll be there soon. If our worthless instructor shows up, just tell him where we are."

Usually Naruto would have interrupted Sasuke so he could have him tell her to inform their sensei that him and Sasuke would just meet the rest of Team 7 at the academy itself. However, Naruto agreed with just waiting for the instructor to meet him and Sasuke where they currently are. He didn't believe the rest of the conversation between him and this Uchiha boy would last too long anyway.

Sakura still chose to speak up. "But Sasuke-kun! What about-," but she was cut off from a fierce glare from Sasuke.

"Leave...now!" Sasuke growled.

Sakura quickly nodded. "Ok Sasuke-kun," she said before running back to the academy.

Sasuke turned back to Naruto, who was watching all of this with indifference.

"So, why are you doing this for? What does it have to do with my brother bastard? And tell me anything you know about that murderer! Teach me...to match my hatred with his own!" Sasuke commanded.

Naruto's eyes turned into a color of deadly amber before shading back into their original crystal and piercing blue color. Sasuke blinked and just thought he was seeing things.

The truth was, Sasuke didn't just imagine it.

After that brief flicker of amber, Naruto spoke. "They say the power of the light is a harder emotion to master than hate is. Oh how wrong they are, since true darkness of the heart is actually much harder to control. Part of me wants to resist the same temptation my sensei faced. But another part of me, a part that continues to grow, wishes to emerge myself in it. It's almost like two separate personalities. Except that overall, there's always constant sorrow and emptiness in my soul. That's why I am not able to completely master it."

"Of course, a part of me is afraid to master it," he said to himself. After mentioning that, Naruto couldn't stop the flood of memories of the battlefield when his sensei completely lost himself to his inner-Battousai...to his bloodline. Naruto than shook his head of such thoughts and turned to look at Sasuke.

The raven-haired boy was confused at Naruto's behavior.

"Neither me or your brother are completely sure that you are a true prodigy, nor if you have the potential to assist him in testing his capacity," Naruto said. At mention of that, Sasuke clenched his fist against and was about to try to charge Naruto again until the blond samurai held out his palm to him, indicating for him to wait, before he said something else.

"However, we both are aware that there is a possibility for you having such potential," Naruto said. "And besides just doing a favor for your brother, I am also curious to see how far your potential will allow you to match up against such a powerful warrior. However..."

Naruto's face darkened.

"Besides just my respect for him, I'm still going to want something from you Sasuke. What I want can actually benefit you and make you strong. It's mostly little things. Like stealing scrolls and other items, giving me any information you hear if you ever go speak to the council and such meetings, and allowing me to learn some of the jutsus you recently acquire. I have a strong feeling our Jounin sensei will be focusing on teaching you a lot more than everyone else on Team 7. You just need to follow my lead Sasuke. If you do so, than you will have a much better chance against your brother using the skills of such a legendary samurai as my sensei."

Of course, as Naruto said that, he inwardly grinned inside. He would make sure that what Sasuke learned from him would be only the basics of how any Japanese samurai swing their swords. He would never ever teach him anything more advanced than that or anything that specifically relates to the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu style he and his master used.

Of course, at the same time, Naruto wasn't exactly lying to Sasuke either because to learn anything about the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu style, one has to know the basics of using a katana the way Japanese samurai use them. And the basics of swinging a katana using Japanese samurai way were common knowledge. Anyone could find out information pertaining to it with the right amount of effort. Japanese samurai did not care to keep such basics a secret. However, what was secret and forbidden for Japanese samurai to share was using their katanas to perform attacks similar to what ninjas can do with jutsus…and that was something Naruto definitely wasn't going to share with Sasgay.

Sasuke just grinded his teeth against each other as has he glared at Naruto.

"I want to see how strong you really are Battousai's apprentice! Fight me dobe!" Sasuke yelled.

Apparently the little Uchiha did not like the suggestion of following someone else...

Naruto just sighed and shook his head. "Why can't you be more like your quiet and patient brother?"

It was then that Sasuke become so enraged, he forgot any plan to just hurt the blond before him.

Sasuke pulled out a kunai and tried to stab Naruto in the neck, deciding to kill his future teammate right now instead!


	3. Chapter 3

_**Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 3**_

Naruto just stood there as Sasuke charged at him.

Right when Sasuke reached the blond, it all happened so fast that the Uchiha didn't even know what had hit him.

All Sasuke could recall was jabbing his kunai at the calmly standing samurai, before a flash of steel passed by and his kunai was out of his hand in an instant.

It was then that Sasuke had suddenly found himself lying on the ground with a bad headache, while he looked at nothing but the sky.

Of course, all Naruto had done was knock the incoming kunai out of Sasuke's hand with his katana before hitting the Uchiha's forehead with the butt end of his sword.

After Sasuke was on the ground, Naruto quickly sheathed his katana.

'_What...speed, I didn't even see him move!_' Sasuke thought as he laid on the ground, still in disbelief that he lost so easily, and at the same time amazed that someone so young can be so fast.

Naruto came into Sasuke's vision, blocking his view of the sky. "You attacked without any plan, focusing on your hatred without any guidance or control. Kakashi will be here any minute now," he said. "Think about my offer, for if you accept, you'll come closer to gaining the same speed you've just seen me display. All I ask of you for now is to keep our conversation quiet, will you?" he asked.

Sasuke quickly nodded his head before he got up and dusted himself off before he stared at the manslayer who had defeated him so easily. "I'll have an answer for you soon; I just need to think about it for awhile."

Naruto nodded his head. "Kakashi and Sakura are coming."

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a confused expression. "How do you know that? I don't see them anywhere..."

It was then that a poof was heard and Kakashi arrived on the scene.

"Yo!"

Naruto turned to look at Kakashi with his usual sad stare, while Sasuke just glared at the copy cat ninja.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Naruto for a moment, before going back to giving his infamous eye smile. "Sakura will be here in moment, so we'll wait here for a little while."

Sasuke just raised an eyebrow, wondering if this guy was his team's sensei, while Naruto turned back to looking at the view of Konoha on top of the monument he stood on.

A secret part of Naruto was yearning to see it in flames...

After two minutes, Sakura finally arrived on the scene, panting heavily after all the running she did as she stopped and bent down while placing her hands on her knees. After awhile, she stood straight back up and angrily pointed her finger at the Jounin.

"YOU!"

Kakashi raised his eyebrow as he gave his response. "Yes?"

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DISSAPEAR AND LEAVE ME ALONE LIKE THAT! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! YOU COULD HAVE CARRIED ME OR SOMETHING! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO JUST LEAVE ME THERE TO RUN ALL THE WAY BACK OVER HERE BAKA SENSEI !"

Kakashi rubbed his ears, much to the annoyance of Sakura, while Sasuke could have sworn he felt blood leaking through his own ears because of Sakura's loud screeching.

Naruto just shook his head at the display.

"Hm, did you say something Sakura?" Kakashi asked as he was suddenly reading his porn.

Sakura just growled at Kakashi before the Jounin coughed and put his book away.

"Why were none of you in the room like you were supposed to be? Your academy teacher should have informed you of staying put in the classroom until your Jounin instructor arrived," Kakashi said with annoyance in his voice. He glared at the three genin.

Sakura flinched and stepped back as Sasuke's eyes widened and Naruto just stared passively at the cyclops.

"So you're our sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Yep. I am Sasuke. I'm sure you should have already known since Sakura's voice was more than loud enough for you to hear. Then again, if you were around her long enough, maybe you're already deaf enough to the point that you didn't hear her correctly awhile ago?" Kakashi asked as he gave his typical eye smile.

"What the hell did you say baka sensei?" Sakura hissed through her teeth as she glared daggers at her Jounin instructor.

'_I wouldn't be surprised if I already am going deaf because of that pink-haired demon. He's probably right,_' Sasuke thought with a scowl.

"Now, back to the question I asked awhile ago. Why weren't any of you in the room when I showed up except for Sakura?" Kakashi asked as he narrowed his eyes again at the three genin.

Sakura was about to respond before Sasuke cut her off.

"Why weren't you there on time to meet us Kakashi-sensei?"

Of course, Kakashi gave a reasonable excuse for being so late.

"I got lost on the road of life."

"Well, so did we Kakashi-sensei, so it seems you're not the only one now are you?" Sasuke asked with an arrogant smirk.

'_Smart ass,_' Kakashi thought as he stared at Sasuke.

"Well, I guess we all got lost now did we?" Kakashi sighed. "Look, just wait for me next time, ok? Unlike me, genins don't have the option to schedule their time as they see fit for meetings like this one. So don't just run off whenever I'm late. Besides, at least I bothered to even show up when only one of you were there. And even then, Sakura only was there to inform me of the location of you two since she came with you both earlier. I don't want to have to chase any of you down just because someone got a little impatient," the lazy jonnin glanced at Naruto before continuing, "and decided to leave. Please don't do it again guys. Now, I was going to have us meet on the roof of the academy building. But, since we're all the way over here, I suppose this spot is just as good. So, let's all sit down and introduce ourselves," he said.

Naruto sat down in a meditative stance as Sasuke sat down on the left side of him.

Sakura scooted as close to her crush, Sasuke, as she could.

Once everyone was situated, Kakashi started to speak. "Ok, let's get the introductions out of the way."

"Pinky, you're up first," Kakashi said as he pointed at Sakura.

'**PINKY? I'll kick his ass for that, CHA!**' Inner Sakura yelled while punching at the air.

Sakura was just as mad about the comment as Inner Sakura was. "What! My name is Haruno Sakura, not pinky!" Sakura screeched. Then she started to think before timidly asking a question. "Kakashi-sensei, could you go first, so the rest of us could know how to introduce ourselves?"

Kakashi just shrugged. "Ok, I'm Kakashi. My likes are none of your business, and the same goes for my dislikes. I have some hobbies. As for a dream, I don't really have one. Ok pinky, now you go."

Sakura seethed. "I told you before my name is not pinky!" she yelled.

Sakura calmed down and decided to continue. "My likes are," she glanced at Sasuke before she blushed and giggled, "my hobbies are," she does the same thing with Sasuke, "and my dream is," and it's then that she squeals after taking one more look at the Uchiha.

"And what about your dislikes?" Kakashi sighed.

"My dislikes are Ino-pig and Naruto-baka!"

"Well fuck you too," Naruto calmly said.

"What did you say to me you bastard?"

"Ok, let's not have any fights. Naruto, please watch your mouth," Kakashu said. "Now, since you've spoke up, how about you introduce yourself next?" he suggested as he pointed his finger at Naruto.

Sakura smiled smugly at the blonc, before he flipped her off. She started sputtering in rage and just before Kakashi was about to reprimand him again, Naruto had cut him off. "My name is Naruto. My likes and dislikes are of no one's concern. The same goes for my hobbies and dreams."

'_Well, at least he acts like a ninja by being smart enough to not give away any information about himself. Still, he is a samurai...and a demon,_' Kakashi thought vehemently.

"Well, ok then. Now for the brooder, go," Kakashi said as he pointed at Sasuke.

Sasuke glared at Kakashi for being called that before he closed his eyes. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are very few things that I like, and a lot of things that I dislike. I have no hobbies. And my dream, no, it's more like an ambition, is to kill a certain man..."

There was a moment of silence before Kakashi coughed and spoke up. "Hm, well, what an interesting group. Now then, all of you are going to meet me at training ground seven tomorrow mourning at 8am. All three of you are going to be taking the real genin exam. It has a failure rate of 66 percent. Oh, and don't eat anything or you'll puke. And one more important reminder. All of you had better be there when I show up. Bye!" And with that, Kakashi was gone in a poof of smoke.

"WHAT!" Sakura screeched. "But I thought the test we took at the academy was the real genin exam!"

"The test at the academy apparently served only to see who had the potential to become Genin. It seems the test Kakashi is giving us will actually be filtering out those who are ready to be ninja and those who aren't. I'll see all of you tomorrow." Naruto said before walking away. However, he suddenly stopped and turned his head towards the Uchiha.

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke nodded his head. There was nothing else needed to be said. The hidden message was,

_**'Remember the deal.'**_

No words were needed to confirm it. The message was already known as soon as the two of them locked eyes with each other.

Naruto nodded back to Sasuke before he began walking away again.

'_I wonder what that was about?_' Sakura pondered after witnessing the strange interaction between her two teammates. '_Oh well, it's probably nothing important. But, I'm not going to let Naruto get away with correcting me about the test or talking back to me, that's for sure!_' And with that thought, Sakura rushed over to Naruto who was still in view as he was walking away, while Inner Sakura was cheering her on the whole time.

Sasuke was just standing there wondering what she was up to. Usually she would follow him home at every chance she got. It looked like she was enraged as she stomped over to Naruto.

Sasuke froze all of a sudden as he realized something. '_Oh no. If Naruto is as skilled as he displayed earlier, than he may end up killing her. Not that I care, but I would have to go back to the academy if there's not a third member on the team. And that's not going to happen!_'

It was then that Sasuke walked over to where Sakura and Naruto were at so he would be closer to them in case something happened between the two which would require his immediate intervention.

Sasuke would soon be proven right.

As Naruto started walking back to his apartment, he was lost in thought about his sensei's death. He often was lost in such morbid thoughts most of the time anymore. It was at this moment that he remembered all the good times he had with Kenshin and Tomoe. He allowed a small...sad smile to grace his face, as he was suddenly lost in those warm memories, before he was cruelly brought back to cold and concrete reality by a fist smashing into his head...hard.

Sakura gave a smug and arrogant smirk to Naruto after she punched him in the back of the head, before she snarled in rage and started berating him. "Don't you ever talk back to or correct me again baka! It's not your place to! After all, you're probably just some orphan that was picked up off of the streets! So nobody really cares about your opinion dead last! You're just some nobody that's beneath me! So what gives you the right to..."

But Sakura wasn't able to finish the rest of what she was going to say as Naruto quickly turned around and faced her. He no longer had the same sad smile he was wearing a moment ago. No, he didn't have that smile on at all. Now he was just glaring at Sakura with cold eyes. But it was those same eyes that froze Sakura to the spot. They were a color of glowing amber. But there was nothing in those eyes except for rage and...insanity. And not just the type of insanity where someone is bouncing around in an orange jumpsuit while yelling about becoming Hokage when he wouldn't ever have the chance of becoming one since the whole village would hate him forever for carrying a demon inside of him.

It wasn't the type of insanity in regards to someone being funny and doing pranks that not many would dare try to get by with.

No, it was the 'Itachi kills his own clan' type of insanity. It was only a second after Sakura realized this, before she painfully felt the air come out of her as Naruto's knee suddenly found itself shoved into her gut.

The force of the impact instantly slammed her into a wall of rock that was a part of the mountain they were on, before Naruto appeared in front of her out of nowhere and started squeezing her delicate throat harder each second.

Sakura tried to scream, she really did, but no sound would come from her throat except for the sounds one makes when someone is choking. Naruto continued to squeeze Sakura's throat as he gleefully watched Sakura's expression of pain, horror, and shock. He couldn't help but give a sick and twisted smile to Sakura, while his eyes were glazed with insanity and pleasure at her suffering.

"Don't you ever lay your dirty hands on me again you fucking bitch. No matter who you are, don't you ever touch me. Then again, you're going to die today anyway, so I suppose you won't have to worry about such a warning, will you filth? Goodbye Haruno, at least I never had to know you for very long."

Naruto was just about to snap Sakura's neck, before Sasuke ran up behind him. Sasuke was about to place his kunai to Naruto's throat and threaten him to release Sakura, but the blade of the blond samurai's katana just appeared, as if he never even moved it, against Sasuke's own throat.

"Don't interfere Sasuke," Naruto calmly said, as if killing his own teammate was as significant as talking about the weather.

Sasuke was breathing in shaky breaths before he spoke. "Do-dobe. You rea-really need to calm down. I hate Sakura just as much as you do. But if you kill her now, than not only will we be going back to the academy, but you'll either be imprisoned in life or executed for murder. I for one don't want to go back to the academy. I'm sure you don't want to either after all the training you went through. However, even if you don't care about any of that, than you better remember that you'll face a lot more problems than I will. After all, I'll just be going back to the academy, while you'll be facing worse consequences."

Sakura would have been heartbroken at Sasuke's lack of care for her, but she was in too much pain and fear at the moment thanks to everyone's favorite psychopathic blond.

Naruto paused in what he was about to do to Sakura, before his face became emotionless as he turned his head towards Sasuke.

"You're right Sasuke. I can't let an annoying wench cause that much trouble for me. You've seemed to display your brother's intellect. I'm impressed. Perhaps there is potential in you after all just as me and your brother had hoped."

Sasuke didn't know if he should feel happy for receiving such praise or angry because Naruto was comparing him to his brother again. But he didn't get much time to ponder that as he had to prepare himself to try to intervene again since Naruto turned his attention back to Sakura.

"As for you..." Naruto said as he gave a hard squeeze to Sakura's neck, making her whimper in pain and fear. "Thanks to the Uchiha, you're going to live today. However, since you'll be alive, my warning still stands Haruno. Don't fuck with me. Now, you're not going to ever mention what I did to you today, am I correct?" Naruto asked with warning etched into his question.

"Y-yes, I…I promise, just please…" Sakura stammered. She than started to sob like the pathetic person she is. "Please let me go! I won't tell anyone, I pro-promise I won't! And I won't ever hit you again, I don't want to die!"

The little Haruno girl started to sob a lot harder and began shaking in fear.

Naruto just released his hand from her throat. But she only had enough time to inhale a small amount of air, before he quickly grabbed her by the collar of her clothing and backslapped her. After that, he threw her into a wall of rock again.

When Sakura was slammed into the wall, she collapsed on the floor and started coughing while taking in deep breaths. Her entire body had hurt from being slammed into the rough rock two times, not to mention the pain her face was in after being slapped so hard. And if that wasn't enough, her throat was burning from the lack of oxygen she was denied.

Sasuke just stared in horror at his teammate. He was shocked at how cold Naruto could be. One moment, Naruto could be calm, yet very sad. Almost as if he was completely docile.

Then the next, Naruto could become dangerous and non-caring. Is that what hate does to people? Would he become like that if he accepted Naruto's assistance? But he did swear long ago that he wouldn't let anything get in his way of killing his hated brother. But for once in his life, Sasuke was wondering if focusing on revenge against his brother would be worth it. It seemed that the price of claiming his brother's life would mean becoming cruel as Naruto was at that moment. It was as if his eyes became more adjusted to reality beyond the famous Uchiha arrogance. An epiphany was granted to him. But would that change his goal in life? His goal of revenge?

"I'll hold you to your promise wench. Now get up you pathetic pile of flesh!" Naruto hissed at Sakura.

Sakura just laid there and sobbed as more tears went down her face. "Pl-please Naruto, I'm so-sorry, please…" She than started sobbing again as she took shaky breaths.

"I'm sorry, please…" Naruto mocked in a high pitched whiny voice, before he snarled in rage. "Stop your pitiful crying and get up goddammit!"

Naruto walked over to Sakura's bleeding form and kicked her in the ribs. All Sakura could do was cry out in pain as she felt some of the bones in her ribcage crack.

"I said get up you little bitch! You certainly had enough energy while ago to punch me, so you should have enough to get back on your own two feet!"

Naruto then kicked her again, only this time in the stomach, and she again cried out in pain.

Sasuke quickly walked over to Naruto and grabbed him by his shoulder.

"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered. He didn't want to see this happen anymore. He didn't know why, but he couldn't just stand there and let this continue.

Naruto whirled around and glared at Sasuke, and it was then that Sasuke was frozen stiff in fear. However, he was still able to understand the message hidden in Naruto's eyes.

'_**Don't interfere or you're next.'**_

But it was those exact eyes that put so much fear into Sasuke's body. Those eyes…he didn't just imagine them a while ago. They were real. It must be a bloodline of some sort. But what really scared him was that they were the eyes of a killer, and not just any killer, but a psycho murderer. Only his brother had such a pair eyes. And it was only his brother that had EVER put this much fear into him.

Sasuke couldn't help but step back after being under Naruto's intense glare.

Naruto turned back around and picked Sakura up by her hair. She started moaning in pain as she felt her hair being pulled.

Naruto then brought her face a few inches from his own before he spoke in a calm and deadly whisper. "For now on, you will lower that voice of yours Haruno. I don't appreciate your banshee like scream invading my eardrums, and I won't put up with it if I'm faced with having to deal with that shit every goddamn day. I really don't give a fuck about your interest in the Uchiha, but you had better not let your stupid little feelings get in the way of this so-called team. Now, I trust that you already know to never lay your filthy fingers on me again, so I won't repeat myself on that subject. And for now on, you'll address me as Naruto-sama. None of that dobe, loser, or baka bullshit. Honestly, just because I graduated last in class, everyone assumes I perfectly fit that title. It wouldn't be so pathetic if that was just the case, but even after that academy instructor informed everyone about my special training, it was still as if I was to be assigned to the title of dead last for life. Despite the fact that everyone knows I was trained by the most deadly samurai in Japan...and one of the most dangerous swordsman in the world. Not that I really care, but if people in Konoha judge enemies so easily on such trivial things, then it probably won't be too long until the so-called 'Will of Fire' is stomped out quickly. Now, as a final note, if you're ever going to speak to me, you had better ask for permission ,or not speak until you're spoken to, do I make myself clear!"

Sakura nodded her head up and down so fast that it seemed the poor girl's head would snap off.

"Good…good…" Naruto soothed as he stroked Sakura's cheek. He then softly whispered in her ear. "You'll be obedient for me, won't you Sakura…You won't let me down will you?"

Sakura couldn't help but moan softly in pleasure. Even a simple touch like that from him was able turn her on so much. Her heartbeat only started to beat faster as she stared into his amber eyes and chiseled face. She felt him breathing into her ear and felt an unknown feeling of pressure swell up inside her.

"Sakura…" Naruto whispered again, and at that Sakura began to shiver in pleasure at his breath tickling her ear. Oh god she never knew that someone could invoke such feelings so easily.

"N-no Naruto-sama, I…I won't fail y-y-you," Sakura whispered back in a shaky and subdued voice.

Naruto nodded at Sakura's submission. "Excellent…Also, if you ever mention what happened here, I won't be the only one…disappointed in you. Sasuke won't like it either, will you Sasuke?" he asked as he once again turned his attention to the Uchiha.

Sasuke was still frozen on the spot and was feeling confusion and fear all at once. Just a minute ago, Naruto held Sakura in pain and fear. And then out of nowhere, he suddenly subdued her in bliss of pleasure.

'_Is this how true power is like?_' Sasuke wondered as he stared at the scene in front of him.

When Naruto addressed him about Sakura, he shook his head in fear. Yes, fear. Because as his mind was trying to deny the possibility of him being afraid of his own teammate, his body was saying the exact opposite. He couldn't help but follow his instincts at that time. Even if Naruto's question sounded innocent with no other motive in it, he could clearly tell that the threat was still hanging in the air. He didn't want to disobey the warning in that question. Despite all of his arrogance, the intelligence that his brother was so famous for became temporarily activated in his mind.

As a result, Sasuke was able to tell that if he answered wrong to Naruto's question, he'd end up in the same state Naruto had put Sakura in. Uchiha or no Uchiha, he was no match against someone who had such a strong handle on the power hatred can grant. It was perhaps one of the few wise decisions he made in his life.

"N-no, I won't like th-that Naruto," Sasuke responded in a shaky voice. He then addressed Sakura in order to be sure that he pleased his blond teammate. "Sa-Sakura, I…won't like it if you tell anyone about what…what happened today, al-arlight?"

Naruto smirked in satisfaction. Of course, the smirk on his face was clearly evil…

Sakura would have been heartbroken again if she wasn't in such pleasure because of Naruto at the moment.

Naruto then turned his attention back to Sakura once again, who had let out a little whimper when Naruto ceased stroking her face. "You see? You don't want your crush to be upset at you, now do you? Not only I, but he would be terribly hurt if you betrayed him in such a way…You see that, don't you Sakura?" Naruto asked with pity in his voice as he brought his face close to Sakura. His breath was now brushing against her lips...

At this point, Sakura's eyes were glazed over and and only half opened. She responded in a soft and timid voice, which ironically used to be loud all of the time. "Y-yes…Yes Naruto-sa…Naruto-sama."

Naruto slowly nodded in satisfaction. "Good girl," he said softly. "Good girl."

To his two teammates shock, Naruto's face somewhat…became softer and his eyes returned to their usual blue and crystal color. Along with these changes came back the sad expression that was always on his face.

He then gently placed Sakura on the ground and released her hair.

As soon as she was released, Sakura began to fall towards the ground. She was just too tired to even stand up anymore. Not to mention that her whole body was in pain, including her ribcage. At the moment, she was also filled with shock, as well as a lot of fear…and lust. There was such a long range of emotions running through her that her brain was on the brink of shutting down.

However, before Sakura even hit the ground, Naruto scooped her up in his strong arms and faced Sasuke. As for Sakura, she simply accepted Naruto's warm embrace and snuggled up to his chest. She found herself surprised at how muscled his chest was and sported a blush at her discovery. After all, Naruto's samurai clothing completely covered him up to the point where no one could even come up with a proper guess at how physically strong he was. Though, such clothing provided a huge advantage on the battlefield, given that the enemy would have a hard time determining his or her opponent's physical strength.

Naruto frowned in distaste at Sakura's affection towards him. He simply had a natural ability of attracting the opposite sex towards him in such a way that it was as if they were put under a trance. Sometimes it had its advantages, as he displayed awhile ago with Sakura's submission to him. There was also times when he had to somewhat push it in order to make that ability work. He rarely did though, except for cases such as in regards to the pink-haired girl in his arms. After all, she had been completely focused on the Uchiha boy. However, it was also a disadvantage because then he faced the possibility of people trying to touch him.

Naruto really didn't like being touched by anyone, and so that didn't include just harsh punches like Sakura gave him awhile ago. He only allowed Kenshin-sensei, Tomoe-nesan, and one other person to touch him, and sadly, the first two were no longer among the living and the last one could be anywhere. It's actually why he lost control over his temper awhile ago. The other main reason was because he didn't appreciate being brought back to the cruel reality he was in through such a harsh way. Not when he was enjoying pleasant memories that evoked positive emotions that he hardly felt anymore.

Back to Naruto's original train of thought, even though he disliked the pink-haired girl coming in contact with him, he had to touch her so that she could be of some use to him. He sighed at that conclusion. Another disadvantage was that most of the women he talked to were only interested in getting into his pants. After all, his natural ability strongly attracted the opposite sex to him. That meant he usually couldn't even hold a normal or decent conversation with them without being constantly flirted with. He wasn't really concerned about ever having a significant other, but if a woman was to be attracted to him, he wished she would at least have feelings for him because of who he is as a person, and not an inanimate object for their entertainment.

Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned his attention back to Sakura.

"Now Sakura, if anyone asks why you address me as Naruto-sama, you'll tell them the reason is because you admire me for being apprenticed by the famous Battousai," Naruto said. "My teacher had many fangirls after all, and so did I…" Naruto paused and once again had a small and sad smile on his face as he remembered such times when his life wasn't in so much turmoil as it is now.

When Naruto's brother and sister figure were still alive and cared for him… '_Kenshin-sensei and Tomoe-nesan …I truly am alone now. It was as if yesterday that I was surrounded by people who cared for me…And today I'm suddenly thrown into a foreign place where everyone hates me…_' Naruto thought sadly.

With much effort, Naruto held back a sob or any trace of a tear before he continued what he was trying to say. "So, many people will just assume that you're one of those fangirls Sakura. Will you do as I ask?" He asked in his usual calm and soft voice. Sakura couldn't help but realize how beautiful Naruto's voice sounded. She must have been too focused on Sasuke to notice…

"Y-yes Naruto-Sama…" Sakura muttered as her face was buried in Naruto's chest.

Naruto than looked at Sasuke who was still frozen in shock.

"Will you back up her story Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "You'll respond in the same manner I hope?"

Sasuke nodded his head again real fast. It would have been hilarious to many people to see Sasuke in such a state, however in regards to the present situation; there was nothing funny about what was happening.

"S-sure dobe, I mean Naruto! I'll back up your story and keep quiet about what really happened today," Sasuke said.

Naruto knew that he was taking a chance by placing such trust in those two. However, he had hope in the power that fear contains. Sometimes you just have to take chances in order to achieve a goal.

"Good..." Naruto whispered in satisfaction. He then walked closer to Sasuke.

"Take Sakura and carry her to the hospital. Once you're there, just say that you and Sakura were sparring real hard and she got her hurt badly," Naruto said. He then placed Sakura into Sasuke arms.

Despite being held in the arms of her crush, Sakura couldn't help but whimper in disapproval at being removed from Naruto's warm embrace. Even though she had always dreamed of being held this way by Sasuke, she clearly came to realize that Naruto's embrace was softer...and safer.

Sasuke started to sputter before he could finally speak properly. "But why do I have to do it! Why can't you do it? Won't I get in trouble then for putting Sakura in such a condition? Are you just trying to make me take the blame for what you did to her?" Sasuke argued with anger.

Naruto just stared at Sasuke in silence. However, just when Sasuke was about to continue arguing, he saw a small glow of amber in Naruto's eyes that was slowly growing…

It was then that Sasuke lost any anger he felt and decided that facing punishment for Sakura's condition would be a lot better than Naruto's reaction to disobedience. He shivered in fear at the thought of being on the receiving end of Naruto's amber glare like Sakura was. No…he most certainly didn't won't to be in the state that Sakura was in a while ago.

"I…I m-mean sure Na-Naruto, I'll ca-carry her for you. And I'll take the bl-blame as well. So you don't have to wo-worry about any of it. I'll handle ev-everything." Sasuke nervously said. He tried to give his typical arrogant smirk at the end, but he ended up only giving a nervous smile.

Never before had Sasuke thought that he would be so afraid of someone other than his brother, especially the class dobe. In the past, he would have scoffed at the idea of him every facing this sort of situation, until now…

Much to Sasuke's relief, the amber color that was in Naruto's eyes immediately disappeared as the Battousai's apprentice flashed the scared Uchiha a smirk.

'_I didn't even have to do anything to the brat, and already he's beginning to submit to me after just witnessing what I did to Sakura. Yes, this is going better than I had hoped for. Good…_' Naruto thought.

"Well, thank you Sasuke. I really appreciate this. However, you won't be facing any punishment for Sakura's condition. From what I gathered, you're very much adored in this village, being the last loyal Uchiha and all. So, I'm really sure that the worst you'll get is a simple reprimand and that's it," Naruto said.

Sasuke just nodded. "Ok Naruto, I believe you. I'll take her to the hospital right now. I'll see you later."

Of course, Sasuke wasn't completely sure that his status in the village would prevent him from facing more serious consequences than a verbal reprimand. However, he knew there was a greater chance of him receiving punishment from Naruto for arguing than there was for him being punished by the village for what happened to the girl. But, he was sure on one thing... And it was that Naruto's punishment would certainly be worse than whatever consequence he would have to face from the village for the pain Sakura went through. He again shivered at the thought of going through the same treatment that the pink-haired girl suffered at Naruto's hands.

Sasuke turned around and began to walk to the hospital as he carried Sakura in his arms.

"Yes, I'll see you two tomorrow. Goodbye for now Sasuke," Naruto responded.

"Goodbye Naruto," Sasuke replied back as he continued his walk to the hospital. Naruto just watched them until they both were out of his view, before he once again looked at the village of Konoha on top of the cliff he stood on. He begin to think about what Kenshin-sensei and Tomoe-nesan would feel if they knew how he was acting right now. He certainly knew they would be deeply hurt at seeing him manipulate and hurt people as he did with his two so-called teammates. They would hardly believe that he would be willing to use them as he would use pawns on a chessboard. But then again, the simple fact is that they're dead. And when they died, a large part of his heart died with him.

Day by day, Naruto drowned in sorrow as he was slowly losing pieces of his heart...and pieces of his mind. He was becoming more and more numb to any feelings except sadness and hatred. Right now, he was trying to fight against the growing darkness in himself. He really was. However, from his treatment of Sakura awhile ago, it was clear that he was losing badly to his hatred and darkness. It was most certainly like he was made of two personalities.

In truth, Naruto was really just a lost, scared, and confused 12-year-old boy. A part of him wanted to follow the path his sensei would have followed, before he died. Naruto knew this since his sensei's last words were about how he would have lived if he had survived the civil war in Japan. To put it simply, Kenshin-sensei's way of life after Japan's civil war would have basically involved no more killing and strictly following the path of light.

However, Naruto wasn't sure if he could honor his sensei by following such a path, considering that a larger and growing part of him wanted to obtain the complete power of hatred. To be submerged in darkness...

Naruto just wanted to attain and deny that power all at the same time. It was just so unbelievably complicated.

Naruto shook his head at such complex thoughts, before he turned around and started walking home.

_Later on..._

When Naruto walked into the middle of Konoha, he decided to buy some groceries. However, after being in Japan for so long, he had forgotten all about the problems he had in Konoha whenever he tried to go shopping, which consisted a lot of being thrown out, being overcharged, and overall being cheated.

So, as soon as Naruto walked through the entrance of a grocery store, he quickly remembered that problem when the owner of said store quickly went over to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Get out of my store you filthy demon. This isn't Japan where your disgusting kind can go anywhere you please. So, while you're here in Konoha for the rest of your pathetic life, you had just better get used to it you stupid Kyuubi brat!" the store owner yelled. After saying that, the man moved to shove Naruto out of the store.

However, apparently Naruto didn't agree with the bastard about getting used to anything. This was made known when the idiotic store owner had quickly found himself in pain and fear as he stared at Naruto's glowing amber eyes, while he felt his wrist being snapped by a jerk of the killer's hand.

Of course, Naruto had quickly used all of his senses to check if anyone else was in the little store first before taking any action. There was also no windows in the store either, so no one could actually see what was happening.

As soon as he felt his wrist snapped, the store owner began to scream in pain. But his scream only lasted for a few seconds before Naruto grabbed his head and slammed it into a wall. After having his head being directly smashed into the wall so hard, the store owner had quickly passed out and fell onto the floor. The guy would be sleeping forever, since as soon as he had hit the ground, Naruto took out his katana and stabbed him through one of his eyes into his brain. After that, Naruto wiped the blood off of his blade on the guy's shirt before sheathing it and locking the door.

He then continued his shopping like nothing ever happened.

_30 minutes later..._

After Naruto got everything he needed, he was about to leave through the front door before hearing someone speak behind the front door. "Honey?" This person had quickly unlocked that door and stepped inside. It was obvious that she was the store owner's wife. She quickly spotted Naruto and glared at him in shock and anger, since she was one of many in Konoha that hated him, before she stiffened as she saw the store owner's body.

"My husband...Dan...No! No! No! Dan..." She fell to her knees and started sobbing over his body.

Personally, Naruto found enjoyment at seeing the woman's torment. Of course, the suffering the store owner's wife was going through, especially her loss, was nothing compared to all the pain and loss that Naruto had been forced to deal with his entire life.

Naruto stood behind her for a few minutes, enjoying the suffering the woman was going through. Honestly, if he had some paint and a canvas, Naruto would have painted the beautiful scene before him.

So silent, except for the obvious sobbing and accepted sadness in the air. It was just beautiful. What a pity indeed. Oh well.

Naruto decided to make his presence known and get back to business so he could leave soon. He didn't really want to be caught for the second horrible act he committed today now did he?

"Don't worry, you'll be joining him soon," Naruto said as he slowly took out his katana from its sheath.

At the sound of the manslayer's voice, the woman quickly stood straight up, turned around, and glared as hard as she could at her husband's killer.

"Y-you won't get away with this you monster! I'll make sure you're put to death for this, just like you should have been when you were born! Do you hear me! You'll pay for what you did dem-."

But the woman never got to finish her words as Naruto had shoved his katana under her chin, through her mouth, and out of her head. She died instantly. He than twisted his katana, so that the sharp end of it faced him, before shoving his sword out towards him. In result, the wife's face was cut in half as blood and teeth fell around him. Her body dropped onto the floor quiet harshly. Yes, very beautiful...

As for Naruto, he just wiped his blade against her clothing to get the blood off. Before leaving though, he found a large container of gasoline in the store. So, he quickly poured it everywhere in the building and than set the gasoline on fire with the flick of a cigarette he was smoking while he had been pouring the flammable liquid. As everything started to be engulfed in flames, Naruto spotted the back door and silently left through it so as to have a better chance of not being associated with what he did.

_10 minutes later..._

When Naruto finally reached his apartment, he first unlocked his door before he stepped inside and slowly began putting his groceries up. After he finished, he walked towards his bedroom as if he was in a daze.

When Naruto entered his bedroom, he collapsed on the bed. It wasn't too long then until he began sobbing after he started having memories of his sensei and Tomoe. The silence in his room always did that to him after a short time. He was used to it though. After all, he did the same thing every night ever since he arrived in Konoha. The feeling of just being in that horrible place made him even more depressed about their deaths.

It wasn't too long, before Naruto cried himself to sleep and began to dream about the time when he had arrived in Konoha after traveling from the place that would always be his homeland...

Japan...


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: Sorry that I was late on delivering this chapter, Internet went down at my college for a while. But I'm back home now and have it uploaded. This chapter is Naruto's real flashback over his arrival to Konoha. It's a flashback he's having in the dream I mentioned about him being in within the last chapter. I appreciate all the comments and reviews so far. Sorry that I deleted the review response thingie, but I had decided to not take any chances thanks to the warning of a reviewer. I think that person. Activate the story!

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_**Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 4**_

_+Naruto's Dream (Flaskback)+_

It was a beautiful day as Naruto arrived at Konoha's gates. When he had come into Hi no Kuni, he was pleasantly surprised to meet up again with his old friend, Uchiha Itachi, who had fought alongside him during Japan's civil war.

Naruto and Itachi had became such good friends that the young Uchiha began to teach Naruto a few jutsus and other techniques related to ninja fighting. So, thanks to Itachi, Naruto was able to combine everything he taught him with his own samurai style of fighting. Usually, the average person wouldn't be able to learn so much from a ninja when they're in the middle of a war and there are only short periods of time that Itachi could teach Naruto. But then again, Naruto would be what Konoha considers a genius.

Itachi had come to Japan representing some organization called 'Akatsuki.' Apparently, he was from Konohagakure, but wasn't loyal to it anymore. After all, by fighting on Naruto's side, Itachi battled with ninja from his own village. Of course, any ninja from that village that fought Itachi never recognized him because he wore the standard Akatsuki cloak with a pattern of red cloads on it and a sugegasa hat with strips of paper and bells hanging from the edges. He also made sure to not use his Mangekyo Sharingan or allow many people to see his eyes, since he was the only known living Uchiha besides his little brother who lived back at Konoha. Therefore, it would be easy for people with current knowledge about the Uchiha clan to come to the conclusion that he was Uchiha Itachi, an S-Class nukenin.

And if anyone ever happaned to witness Itachi's Sharingan eyes, well then, that always was last thing they would ever see.

Naruto never really cared about Itachi's relationship with his village as long as it didn't interfere with the side he was fighting for.

Uchiha Itachi was nice enough to pay for Naruto's ramen at one of the smaller villages in Hi no Kuni when the blond had arrived from Japan. Yes, what a nice guy indeed. Of course, it wasn't as if Naruto and Itachi planned to meet. They just came across each other by sheer chance. Now, normally, Naruto would have been able to pay for ramen, however, he had to leave the majority of his money at his home country, and in result, only brought enough with him to pay for a ride on a ship to Hi no Kuni itself. Currency in Japan simply wasn't accepted in the Elemental Countries.

At the moment, Naruto was dressed in a chin-high collar black cloak similar to what the Akatsuki members wore, except it didn't have any of the red clouds on it. The cloak itself was just all black. He was also wearing the same sort of hat the members of that organization wear as well, which was a sugegasa hat. It was something else that Itachi got for him years ago. He only wore it for situations like this when he wished to hide his identity, such as in Japan when he would wear it out in battle to keep anyone from knowing what he looked like, especially from Leaf ninjas.

Naruto sighed as the gates of Konohagakure came into his view. It was as if those gates loomed over him with a depressing and hopeless feeling. He really didn't want to go back there, even after so many years had passed by. It just wasn't fair. As long as he could remember, he didn't have a childhood. His first years alive were spent running from mobs and such other unpleasant experiences. As for the rest of his life, it was spent under the teachings of the Hikitori Battousai. However, more importantly, those remaining years were spent under a bloody civil war known as the 'Bakumatsu no Doran.' It was a war that had spread all over Japan.

At the end of the Bakumatsu no Doran, Naruto was able to fulfill not only his dream, but his sensei's dream as well, in regards to ending the brutal corruption in Japan, along with bringing said country into a long era of peace. But, all of that came at a very high price for the blond. Most of his comrades who fought bravely beside him had either perished in that war or just simply disappeared where they lived as ronin or something else. Whatever it was, Naruto usually didn't know. Another part of the price he paid was that he had lost his sensei and sister figure, Kenshin and Tomoe. Those two were some of the most closet people Naruto ever had. It was Kenshin that kept his sanity together, and Tomoe who had always made sure he would still cling to his emotions at the end of the day after all the blood he spilled.

And now...they were dead.

Gone.

Never again would Naruto hear Tomoe's soft and warm laughter or Kenshin's proud smile every time he learned something new from him.

Naruto felt his eyes start to water as the familiar sorrow began to rise from his stomach and burst from his chest. However, with as much determination he could muster, Naruto forced back his tears. He had done enough crying already. After the funeral of his two beloved people, he cried for days. He had stayed in a hotel room, buried under blankets and sprawled out on a futon, and just bawled and sobbed until it felt as though there was not a tear left in his body. He had sobbed so hard and loud that the echoes of his pain had been heard and felt by anyone in the hallway that his hotel room resided at. After being isolated in a small room, Naruto had spent a few more days just laying against a tree and staring out at the ocean...thinking about the past and what could have been. That was what bothered the blond samurai the most, what could have been?

Naruto, Kenshin, and Tomoe had been planning to just start all over after the civil war would end. They were going to move to an isolated and peaceful part of Japan and live a simple life. Perhaps even take up farming. That was supposed to be how their story would end. All three of them had wanted to live together as a family, without worrying if they were going to die today or tomorrow...

To live in peace and quiet where they could enjoy everyday with each other…

Naruto smiled bitterly at that thought.

_'At least Kenshin-sensei and Tomoe-nesan never have to worry about losing their life at any time. They're already dead. But, it seems I'll still have that problem considering where I'm going._'

Naruto glared at the gates of Konoha. He couldn't help but sometimes feel envious of Kenshin and Tomoe. When they had died, those two entered the afterlife with a smile on their face. They had died while holding each other as soulmates...as people who complete each other. They received the privilege to die with a sense of knowing that they finally found where they belonged. And now, he was sure that he would never receive the same thing.

As if a demon container didn't deserve it.

Naruto could have died with them... Then he could have been with his two beloved people. Sure, it wouldn't be exactly how they had planned to end up after the civil war was over, but at least they would have been together...

After they were dead, Naruto was left all alone in the snow covered battlefield that his sensei had fought and died on, along with the corpse of Tomoe, who looked as if she was in a peaceful sleep, still wrapped up in Kenshin's arms.

Naruto felt that he wouldn't be receiving the same privileges Kenshin and Tomoe received when they died. Now, he would just be left hurt and broken. He would have to carry all of that sorrow on his own. That's probably what had hit him almost as hard as the fact that he had lost two people that he held the closest to his heart.

That he was all alone, and it would remain that way.

Such a belief was only reinforced when months later after the war; he was forced to come back to Konoha, the one place in the world where he would feel the loneliest and like he was nothing. It was either that or be hunted down by hunter-nin for the rest of his life, even throughout Japan. After all, the country itself was in too much of a bad shape to retaliate against the interference of another nation. Not only that, but Konoha had threatened war on Japan if he wasn't returned to Hi no Kuni, the place he was born.

Since Japan had just finished a long civil war, there was no way the country could stand against such an invasion given the state it was in. A lot of warriors and such other resources were lost in that war. The country would have only been able to make a strong final stand against Konoha and its allies for a year before being decimated.

Sure, Japan would have put up a very good fight, and even bring down a good portion of Konoha's ninja with it, but in the end, it would all come down to who had the most resources. Sadly, since Konoha hasn't been in a war for a longer time than Japan, it was the Leaf that contained such an advantage.

When the Japanese government requested Naruto's presence, he was surprised to see a good number of Kenshin's comrades as a part of the new leadership of Japan. Naruto hadn't really known them very well, but he had respected them greatly for their effort in the war, whether it was how they planned battles or how they actually fought the battles themselves. He knew what they had called him for, since news had spread around Japan quickly of how the ninja village of Konoha was threatening war to obtain Japan's apprentice of the Battousai.

Naruto had made enough impact on the war as his sensei had, so a lot of Japan's people went into an uproar against Konoha's actions.

The blond samurai remembered how he had stepped into a government building and confronted the main government officials of Japan. Before they even had the chance to speak, Naruto had claimed that he would go back to Konoha for the sake of his beloved country.

However, Naruto was quiet surprised, and touched, that the government officials refused to force him to go, and clearly made it known to him that they would prepare Japan to fight against Konoha, since it would have been the least they could do for the effort he had made in the civil war, as well as to honor his sensei, the Battousai himself. He had teared up at that point. He was very honored and thankful to the support Japan's people were willing to give him. He was practically a hero there.

For a second, Naruto had almost decided to stay in Japan, the country he loved and sacrificed so much for. At least some sort of happiness would have existed for him at that place. Sadly, he knew that if he loved his country that much, than he would have to be transferred to Konoha so that Japan would at least get a chance to rebuild itself without the threat of already being destroyed. Therefore, to the dismay of Japan's people, Naruto had declined his country's help and agreed to Konoha's terms. The main government officials of Japan knew it had to be done though, despite what they wanted, and in result they reluctantly agreed with the Battousai's apprentice.

But, before Naruto left, Japan's emperor himself stood up, walked towards Naruto, and bowed before him. The emperor then expressed his gratitude to him and his master's services, and gave him the status of being the country's new Battousai, rebirth of Himara Kenshin's determination and power.

Since a large crowd was gathered in and around the building, waiting to know the fate of their blond-haired hero, there was a very large and loud cheer throughout the air when the words of the emperor were announced.

By this point, Naruto was down on his knees and openly weeping as the emperor embraced him.

Weeping for all the comrades he had lost.

Weeping for the loss of his beloved Kenshin-sensei and Tomoe-nesan.

Weeping, because of his love for this country. Kami, he loved it so much.

Weeping, because he would soon have to leave his beloved home to a different world where he'd live in deeper despair and loneliness among the hatred of many towards him.

Weeping for the happiness he felt for Japan finally reaching a peaceful era, and that all he sacrificed for that to happen didn't go in vain.

Weeping, because Kenshin and Tomoe would have been so proud of him at this moment if they were still alive.

So here he was now, at the gates of Konoha, only to be stopped by five Chuunin guards and one Jounin.

"Halt!"

Naruto stood in front of the Leaf ninja as one of the Chuunin stepped forward and began to question him.

"State your name and the reason you're here at Konoha."

Naruto stared at him before replying as he planned.

"My name is Kansun Yozoma, and I was requested by the Hokage to meet with him."

The Jounin with gravity defying gray hair and one eye showing stepped forward. "Is that so?" he asked. "Well, I'll go check with him then to see if your story is true. Just wait right here Mr. Yozoma, and I'll be right back."

Though, it would have been smarter to have one of the Chunins go and inform the Hokage instead of the Jounin, being that he's the strongest ninja out of all of them. It would have been much easier for a powerful enemy to slice though the Chunins and get into Konoha if the Jounin wasn't there to help fight him off.

However, before the Jounin got the chance to leave, there was number of swirling leafs that took place in front of Naruto and the guards. Where the swirling leafs took place, the Hokage was found standing there with six ANBU surrounding him.

"Ah, greetings Naruto-kun. You have no idea how hard it has been to find you after all these years. It's good that you are back in your true home where you really belong. Now, come along, there is much we have to discuss." And with that, the Sandaime and his ANBU escort turned around and began walking back to the front gates of Konoha.

Naruto glared at the Hokage as he fell in step with him. "Hokage-Sama, I thought I mentioned in the letter that I wished for my identity to be kept hidden?"

After the Hokage had mentioned the young samurai's name, the six guards instantly stiffened. _'That can't be..._' the Jounin thought. '_Is that the demon brat? After all, such a name is not common in the Leaf. In fact, I've only known the demon having such a name. Also, he had lied to us about what his name really is. That's very clear since he wanted the Hokage to keep his name a secret. That would make sense. The vile demon would most likely do that to hide his identity to avoid the punishment he deserves from this village. But I need to be sure. If it's him, than he shouldn't be allowed back in and should be killed on the spot._'

Instantly the gray-haired Jounin moved in front of the Hokage and Naruto just as they were about to enter through the gates.

"Is there a problem Kakashi?" asked the Hokage.

"Hokage-Sama, you said that person's name is Naruto. Would his last name be Uzumaki by any chance?" Kakashi asked.

"Hokage-Sama, please do not reveal so much information about me," Naruto whispered.

The Sandaime turned his head towards Naruto and answered him out loud. "I'm sorry Uzumaki Naruto, but if you're going to be staying in this village, people need to know who you are for security reasons. Your identity shouldn't be kept a secret in your own home. Also, you'll get more used to being back at Konoha again if you're recognized as your true identity. As a result, the citizens and ninja of the leaf will become more attached to you, and in return you'll grow more attached to this village as your real home. Don't you want a chance to earn respect and acknowledgment from Konoha's people, instead of their hatred and fear?"

'_As usual, my needs have never really mattered old man, have they? As always, you and this hellhole of a village decide what is for my own good or my treatment is just ignored for some so-called righteous reason. I hate this,'_ Naruto thought as he remembered all of the times he had suffered beatings in the Leaf while the Hokage just sat in his office and done nothing. Back then, the ANBU only stepped in after he was almost dead or permanently injured.

By this point, the guards obviously figured out who the black-cloaked individual was, and froze in shock and anger that the 'demon brat' was back. And being brought into Konoha by the Hokage no less! However, before the Jounin got a chance to speak, Naruto quickly answered the Hokage's question.

"No, I'm not interested Hokage-sama. What I'm interested in is just protecting my true home, which is most certainly not here where I'm blamed for the actions of some overgrown fox," Naruto calmly stated, before continuing. "And I was interested in just living a simple life where I could be isolated and be living in peace, not having the burden of being a warrior anymore, before I had been forced to come back to this...this place!"

Naruto looked towards Konoha in disgust.

The Hokage just signed with weariness and reluctant acceptance, as he knew he would possibly have an argument like this with the young demon container and was about to respond to Naruto before Kakashi interrupted.

"Hokage-Sama, you...you cannot be serious about bringing back this," Kakashi pointed to Naruto, "thing to our village. Some demon abomination like it doesn't belong here. Please be reasonable and let us kill it while it's still here out in the open before it ever becomes a threat to all of us."

Instantly, the five Chunin and Kakashi got into their fighting stances and prepared to kill the young samurai.

"ENOUGH!" The Hokage bellowed. He released a long sigh before speaking again.

"Naruto is a very useful and valuable addition to Konoha. The council and I had to pull a lot of strings to have the Leaf push Japan to give away the apprentice of the Battousai…"

Everyone around the Sandaime stiffened at the mention of the manslayer's name.

Kenshin's identity and skills were known all over the world. Especially since he had a reputation of killing more than a thousand men, something not many had and could ever live to achieve. Overall, after the legendary Battousai's actions in the war in Japan, he had risen to the ranks of some of the greatest swordsmen in the world. Not even the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist could compare to his power. As a result of all this, every ninja in all the Elemental Countries, from Jounin to Genin, knew about the Battousai's famous exploits. Not even civilians were unaware of the Battousai's fame. His reputation was simply equal to Konoha's Yondaime, whose status marked him as the greatest ninja in the entire world when he was alive.

If the Yondaime Hokage and Hitokiri Battousai were alive today, they would have made good rivals with each other in terms of fame and skill.

The Sandaime allowed a brief pause to follow before continuing. "Uzumaki Naruto himself is that very same apprentice, and he stands here before us today." The Hokage nodded towards Naruto.

There was a long minute of silence as everyone was digesting such shocking information. The infamous Kyuubi brat, most hated person in the entire Leaf village, was worthy enough to be apprenticed by a legend as the Battousai.

Granted, before Kenshin's status had become so widely known and Japan's revolution started attracting interest from outsiders, ninja had thought themselves as superior to samurai. After all, ninja didn't just use one weapon for fighting as they've seen samurai do in the Elemental Countries. Ninja used a lot of taijutsu and two primary weapons, which were kunai and shuriken. Both of these sorts of weapons could be thrown at high speeds rather than being wielded like a sword. Not only that, but ninja also used other different types of weapons besides just kunai and shuriken. Some ninja used special types of fans that create deadly and powerful winds. Others use special types of knives that are enhanced with chakra, like the ones used by the third's son, Asuma Sarutobi. Then there's ninja who use swords that have their own capabilities, like the one used by Kisame, who was one of the members of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. His sword is designed to shave off flesh and absorb chakra.

Another reason ninja thought of themselves as superior to samurai was because of the use of ninjutsu. By using chakra, ninja are able to create a wide variety of short-distance and long-distance range attacks. Some could use ninjutsu for stealth, like the henge jutsu. Other jutsus, such as the kawarimi and bunshin jutsu, could be used for escaping or confusing the enemy. And finally there's jutsus that can cause major damage. Such jutsus are those that can kill a large number of people by just being used once.

One more cause for ninja having such arrogance towards samurai was because of their use of summons. Some ninja were capable of calling forth gigantic monsters that could destroy an entire village. As the Yondaime displayed, summons could even be used to take on very powerful demon lords.

But, it should be noted that Gambunta, who was summonded by the Yondaime Hokage, was only able to fight with the Kyuubi for a short time before the Yondaime could seal the demon. And that was just when Kyuubi was playing with him. Gambunta had nearly even lost an eye because of his encounter with the 9-tailed demon lord. Therefore, the best a summon could do against such an enemy would be providing a distraction long enough for the sealing of the demon to take place, and that's usually only if said demon is just playing with his enemy.

As for bloodlines, they were more seen in the world of ninjas, so with their arrogance, ninjas assumed that samurai either simply didn't possess such power, or that bloodlines were just rare in Japan. And even if there were bloodlines in Japan, ninja were arrogant enough to believe that the samurai either didn't use them to their full potential or have enough knowledge to know that they even had a bloodline.

Japan used to be very isolated in the world while it was in a civil war. However, thanks to all the missions requested from different groups in Japan for assistance from Konoha's and other main villages' ninja, Japan became very much more known to the world. Since Konoha was known to be the most powerful village in the Elemental Countries, its ninja were hired a lot in Japan. However, it should be known that the ninja villages would only choose the first fighting faction that made a request for ninjas, given that they didn't want to risk having their ninja fight each other if they were ever assigned to opposing sides in the civil war. Of course, there were times when a village would refuse to assist a specific fighting faction, because an enemy ninja village was already helping said faction. It's understandable considering that most villages from the Elemental Countries are only interested in the money that's offered from missions. They could care less about Japan's welfare or any such other moral concept.

Even missing-nins and mercenaries were hired to assist a warring faction in Japan's civil war, and the majority of them would most certainly not be taking such dangerous missions out of the goodness of their hearts.

When ninja from the Elemental Countries were beginning to be hired for assistance in Japan, a lot of them died because of their arrogance towards the samurai. Indeed, they were very surprised to see master swordsmen, with just a katana, able to cause attacks that were as destructive as most of the devastating jutsus used by ninja. It was as if these samurai could use ninjutsu and fight with their katana all at once. It was simply amazing…and terrifying.

As a result, it wasn't too long until ninjas discovered that they were at a huge disadvantage in regards to their ninjutsu compared to the powerful attacks that Japan's swordsmen could use. This is because ninjas had to often go through a set of handseals to launch just one jutsu. Most of the time, it would take a long number of complex handseals for jutsus that are real destructive. However, with just a few precise swings of a katana, samurai could exert the same destructive force that the ninjas could wield with their jutsus. After witnessing the power that samurai in Japan carried, ninjas from the Elemental Countries learned real quick that Japanese samurai were a lot more different, especially more powerful, than the thug like samurai they've grown accustomed to in their own lands.

It didn't matter how fast ninjas were with handseals, because there would always be an amount of time they would have to use to even make them before launching any jutsu at an enemy. And it was always that brief pause of time that cost of a lot of ninjas' lives whenever they went up against Japanese samurai, since these master swordsmen could already complete a destructive attack with lightening speed before a ninja was even done with his or her handseals.

In a nutshell, Japanese samurai could often counter almost all of the jutsus that ninjas used.

During the civil war of Japan, Konoha's ninja had been assisting the Bakufu forces, while Kenshin and his apprentice were fighting with the Ishin Shishi side. Now, it should be noted that it wasn't as if Konoha weren't sending a whole army of ninjas to help with the war. They were most of the time assigning missions requested by the Bakufu to a few squads of ANBU, but sometimes they would just assign these missions to about two or three Chunins and one or two Jonins.

However, as a result of Konoha's choice of warring faction to support, ninjas from Konoha soon came to fear the Hikitori Battousai as the most feared opposing samurai of them all. The Battousai's apprentice was also a danger to Konoha's ninjas and its allies. Speaking of his apprentice, imagine how surprised some Leaf ninja were when they came to find out that this apprentice was their old and local so-called 'demon brat.' Needless to say, those particular ninja were always full of shock and rage when they came face-to-face with Naruto. The first group of Leaf ninjas to confront him and figure out his identity had only been able to make a few angry insults towards him, like 'Kyuubi brat,' and 'demon fox,' before finding themselves either pierced or cut in many pieces by his blade.

So, any ninja that confronted Naruto and found out his true idenity, were given no chance to escape. They were to be chased down and killed on sight.

It wasn't too long until every village of the Elemental Countries, especially Konoha, had spread information and news regarding the Battousai's existence and his exploits. As a result, Kenshin was very famously known all over the world.

But, such fame served as a catalyst for the discovery of the identity of his apprentice...

Because of the trouble that the Battousai and his apprentice had caused for Konoha, the Hokage and council of the Leaf had soon began launching an investigation regarding their identity and other information like background, skill level, techniques used, etc. After all, at that time samurai became feared and respected as equals to ninja, therefore Kenshin represented the most dangerous threat to any ninja Konoha sent out on a mission to Japan. As a result, it wasn't too long until spies and ninja sent out from the Leaf had been able to come up with a good idea of the Battousai's appearance, as well as for his apprentice.

It really wasn't that hard considering how often and detailed Japanese citizens spoke of Naruto and his master.

There were only a few times that some citizens had got a glimpse of Naruto and his master when Naruto used to not wear his disguise when he went somewhere with Kenshin. Naruto had thought that as long as he wasn't fighting alongside the Battousai, then no one would suspect him of being the Battousai's apprentice. Well, he was wrong about that. Apparently people in Japan are smarter than the people he was used to back in Konoha. The two samurai warriors didn't kill civilians though, so those same citizens never had been silenced.

Konoha's ninja attained information on the Battousai and his apprentice by simply listening in on discussions with Japanese civilians. If that didn't work, they would have to rely on torture. But, at that time, talk among Japan's populace regarding the Battousai and his apprentice was so common that ninja from Konoha never had to consider the later option for obtaining information. When a select few of Leaf ninja, who were basically Gai and Yamato led by Anko, had gathered enough of this information to come up with a good physical description and analysis of the Battousai and his apprentice, they had delivered it to the Hokage and council of Konoha.

It should be noted though that those three particular ninja were mainly chosen, because the Hokage trusted them enough to keep any information they found only between them and himself along with the council. Clearly, confidentiality was most important with such a task.

Needless to say, there was a lot of shock, anger, and confusion in the council chambers as the Hokage and council itself looked over the information Anko and the rest gave. This can be understandable considering that the information regarding the physical description of the Battousai's apprentice had almost fit exactly with the appearance of their former 'demon brat' who had disappeared years ago. After all, how many other people besides Naruto had whisker like scars on their cheeks? Not to mention a person with such birthmarks that also had blond hair and blue eyes? Surely it wouldn't be too hard to realize who exactly fit such a description! But they were kind of confused at the same time, becaues the Naruto they remembered had short and spiky blond hair.

Even though the hair of the Battousai apprentice was blond, his hair was long and silky, and it reached his waist.

The Battousai's apprentice wasn't a short midget like the Naruto the Hokage and council remembered either.

Immediately, the council had gone into an uproar, and began demanding the Hokage to have hunter-nins sent to Japan to track down the 'Kyuubi brat' and kill it. After an hour of yelling and whining, the Hokage finally had enough of playing the nice old man with overgrown babies and released a huge burst of killer intent upon the council to shut them up.

In the end, the Sandaime had informed the council that rumors and claims from Japanese civilians weren't enough for completely confirming if the physical description given from the information regarding the Battousai's apprentice fit with the actual appearance of Uzumaki Naruto. It was only enough to give someone a good idea of who it was so that an educated theory could be made. The Hokage had than proceeded to inform the council that to absolutely make sure their suspicions were correct regarding the identity of the Battousai's pupil; they would have to send one of Konoha's Sannins to Japan to ensure that such suspicions were true.

That sort of decision makes sense considering that a Sannin would have the best chance, besides the Hokage himself, of encountering the Battousai or his student and living to tell about it.

Sense Jiraiya was the only loyal and active Sannin available, the Hokage and council had chosen him for the task. However, even if all three Sannin had been available at that time, Jiraiya would still have most likely been chosen given that he has one of the best information gathering networks in the world.

Long story short, Jiraiya had barely come back alive in his encounter with the Battousai and his apprentice.

At first, the only active Sannin had found the apprentice, and was pleasantly surprised to see that indeed it was Naruto. Jiraiya had than proceeded to persuade Naruto to come back to Konoha.

However, in terms of persuading, Jiriya had simply told him that he could either come back peacefully or be brought back by force. It seemed that he was too confident in his abilities to actually try peacefully convincing Naruto to come back with him to the Leaf. Jiraiya was a Sannin, and so he clearly thought that he could easily defeat Naruto given that the blond-haired samurai's skill level had to be below that of the Battousai himself if he was still an apprentice.

Jiraiya had even been sure to inform Naruto of what he believed to be a giant gap between their skill level, with him as the strongest one of course, before waiting for his expected answer of Naruto's surrender.

However, Naruto just refused to go back to Konoha, before slipping into the sword stance of the Hiten Mysirugi style, so that he'd be prepared to defend himself. Jiraiya stared in disbelief at how stubborn Naruto was being, before having enough of what he thought as the 'spoiled brat's childish and arrogant behavior,' and began attacking him.

After an hour of fighting, Jiraiya came to realize that the gap between his and Naruto's skill level wasn't near as big as he had assumed. Yes, Naruto was losing as he had concluded, but for someone of his age to keep up with a Sannin in a battle for so long was absolutely unbelievable. The idea of a kid that young battling a Sannin for an hour and still being able to fight would have been laughable to Jiraiya and many others in Konoha. Not even Itachi, Kakashi, and the Yondaime showed that kind of power at such a young age.

Naruto simply had potential that was unheard of!

And if that wasn't enough, Jiraiya had half of his long and white spiky hair cut off from avoiding getting decapitated by the little brat! Still, from Jiraiya's estimation, Naruto was barely low kage level, and since the toad Sannin was barely at a high kage level of skill, it was clear who the winner was going to be.

So, at the end of the battle, Naruto was down on one knee and it was only his katana, stabbed into the ground, which he was holding onto, that was keeping him from collapsing. Right when Jiraiya was about to knock Naruto out, the Battousai had just appeared, as if out of thin air, and began attacking the toad Sannin.

Jiraiya didn't have a chance. After all, the Battousai was on equal grounds with the Yondaime himself, and the Yellow Flash had long ago surpassed his teacher, which was Jiraiya of course. Not to mention that Jiraiya had already spent a significant amount of his energy and chakra fighting Naruto. It was as if no matter what attack Jiraiya used against the little brat, he would still end up standing and ready to continue fighting. Naruto could really take a beating!

Of course, one of the main reasons why Jiraiya had so much trouble with the blond-haired kid was because he had greatly underestimated him at the start of their battle. Let's just say as a result, the poor old pervert had received a long deep gash in his chest and back.

Indeed, allowing a potentially strong opponent to get a free shot at you because you think you can counter it without preparing yourself to do so is a good example of underestimation. So, probably another reason Jiraiya lost to the Battousai so easily was because of those two deep injuries he received.

After Jiraiya was beaten to a bloody pulp and got scars all over the rest of his body from the Battousai's blade, he had wisely retreated in fear from the area as fast as he could.

To the toad hermit's relief, the Battousai was only interested in protecting his student, and not chasing him down and ending his life. It seemed that was a smart decision for the Battousai to make, considering there could have been other Konoha ninjas waiting to kill or kidnap his apprentice since he was in a weakened state.

Jiraiya could have just been serving as a distraction so such a fate could befall Naruto.

Speaking of the toad Sannin, he only stayed 5 more days in Japan to get himself medical attention after his confrontation with Naruto and the kid's mentor, before he went back to Konoha. Long story short, Jiraiya had finally arrived at the Leaf village and told the Hokage and council of his fight with the Battousai and Naruto. After Jiraiya had given his report, the Sandaime and the council were very disturbed and afraid about the fact that not only was the 'Kyuubi brat' already powerful enough to keep up with a Sannin in a fight, but that his master had completely wiped the floor with that very same Sannin!

However, the council and the Hokage were at least comforted about being able to confirm that Naruto is in fact the Battousai's apprentice. After their discovery, the rest is history, which is what lead's to Naruto being where he is now...

Kakashi was the first one to get out of his shock before stammering in fear. "You mean...this...this thing was trained by that...that monster! The Hikitori Battousai trained the d-demon brat! Hokage-Sama, p-please...be re-reasonable! This means that the demon brat isn't harm...harmless anymore! He's dangerous! I'm sorry, but I can't allow it back in this village! We need to get an army of ANBU here and have them kill it right away!"

Naruto really didn't care what Kakashi said about him or his sensei, since he felt there was no sense to get upset over words if you knew that they weren't true. Another reason was that his sensei was already dead, so there was no way for Kakashi to hurt him.

As if the one-eyed bastard would even be able to touch Kenshin when he was alive in the first place.

"CEASE THIS FOOLISHNESS KAKASHI!"

Everyone turned to look at the Sandaime who had screamed in anger, before he began releasing a massive dose of killer intent, freezing almost everyone in place...

Naruto was just barely able to brush the killing intent off. His level of power was below that of the Sandaime after all, since the Sandaime was basically barely at mid kage level thanks to his age. Barely indeed.

"I am the leader of this village, and as such I am the one that makes those kinds of decisions! If any of you wish to take my place, than I can enact the old law that allows anyone in this village to fight me for my position as the Hokage. So if any of you believe you can take me on, than step forth right now!"

Not surprisingly, no one answered to the third's challenge. After all, he was the Hokage for a reason.

Kakashi looked down towards the ground with rage in his one eye as he gripped his fists tightly. He knew that he had no chance against the Sandaime Hokage. His sensei had told him of battle stories revolving around the Sandaime. After hearing some of those stories, Kakashi most certainly didn't want to be one of the enemies that Sarutobi had killed. There was no way he could even come close to matching the old man's power. It's not that he hated the Sandaime or anything like that. On the contrary, he had a lot of respect for him, as well as believed that he was the most politically and strategically skilled Hokage in Konoha's history.

Kakashi was just frustrated that the Sandaime couldn't agree with him about Naruto.

After a long pause, the Sandaime spoke once again.

"That's what I thought. Now, as I said before, Naruto is very important to this village. This is where he was born, and like us, it's where he really belongs. I care very much about him, and that is why I did so much to bring him over here to Konoha. His whole life has been involved in that civil war over at Japan! He's even a hero over there, and he shall be a hero here! Naruto has lost a lot of his precious people at that place! But here, he will find new precious people and escape the horrible memories of war! Here, he will find a childhood that he never had! Naruto will live here in Konoha, his home, because his parents would have wanted him to be living here! It was his father's dying wish, and I will not deny that! Now, none of you are to ever…ever mention to anyone that Uzumaki Naruto was the Battousai's apprentice. That is an S-class secret. I'm sure you all know the penalty for disclosing such highly classified information. Guards, out of my way! Kakashi, come with me!"

Of course, only Naruto and Kakashi knew whom the Sandaime was speaking of when he mentioned Naruto's father.

Speaking of Naruto, he didn't say anything, since he knew that the Sandaime was just spewing bullshit. Naruto knew that the Hokage hated him. He could see it in the Sandaime's eyes. Sarutobi may show him a warm smile communicating warmth and care, but his eyes were what gave Naruto the truth. It was the Hokage's eyes, just like all of Konoha's ninjas and civilians, which showed cold hate and rage towards him.

The guards reluctantly moved aside and allowed them to pass through the huge front gates of Konoha. They were quiet a site to see when they entered the Leaf village. The Hokage was walking through the street with six ANBU surrounding him while Naruto was walking beside him on his left and Kakashi walked beside him on his right. After a few minutes of walking, the Hokage stopped and turned his head towards Naruto.

"Naruto, I need to have a talk with Kakashi for a moment. It involves his rude behavior towards you. Why don't you go ahead to my office in the Hokage tower and wait for me? Don't worry if you don't remember where it is. These six ANBU will escort you there, ok?"

Naruto just stood there and nodded his head.

The Hokage smiled warmly and addressed the ANBU with him. "Escort him to my office and guard him there until I arrive."

And with that, the ANBU surrounded Naruto and lead him towards the Hokage tower.

The Sandaime watched Naruto and the six ANBU leave until they were out of sight, before he turned around and gave Kakashi a stern glare.

The one-eyed Jounin couldn't help but shiver under the Hokage's intense gaze.

"Now you listen to me...I have worked to the bone with the council to get that boy Kakashi! He is a weapon that many villages would wage war with each other just to have in their possession. I will be damned if all the work I did to get that demon went down the drain because idiots like you are too angry to realize what the Leaf could do with him! Do you realize that the only reason Konoha got him was because I planned ahead to attain him after the civil war in Japan was over! If I hadn't, other villages could have got their hands on the Kyuubi brat, and then Konoha would have really been in trouble! What would have happened if Iwa or Kumo got their hands on him? Tell me, Kakashi! Since you're so eager to make decisions for me as Hokage, what would we do then!"

Kakashi just stuttered before the Hokage continued.

"I'll tell you what would have happened! Konoha would have been lost! The least that would occur is Konoha losing the title as the strongest village in the Elemental Countries! We'd lose a lot of our missions to whoever filled in our former title! But if Kumo or Iwa had him, I'd guarantee that they would destroy this village by using that filthy demon. Hell, not even Tsunade would lose a bet on that!"

"But then why don't we just kill him Hokage-sama?" Kakashi quickly responded. "If he can cause that much trouble for our village, than we should finish what the Yondaime started years ago and kill the demon! He's still in our grasp, and yes, that monster trained him, but there's no way he can take on an army of our ANBU! If the demon brat is dead, than no other village can use him against us!"

The Hokage grabbed Kakashi by his shoulder and shook him.

"Fool! You still don't get it, do you! You honestly think I'll pass up this chance because of your stupid belief that this boy is the Kyuubi! Honestly, the Yondaime trained you; I'd think you would be able to tell the difference between a blond-haired boy and a damn giant fox! With this freak under our control, Konoha's safety and strength will continue to exist. Never again will a village challenge us like Iwa did! Enemies like Orichumaru will think twice before ever attacking the Leaf!"

The Hokage closed his eyes before continuing. "Demon containers from other countries will be too afraid to face against Konoha's might, because we have the strongest demon container of them all. One that was trained by the legendary Hikitori Battousai for Kami's sake! In fact, we're the only village right now that has a full-fledged Japanese samurai at our disposal. You've seen the power of those kinds of samurai, you know what they can do Kakashi! Imagine what the Battousai and his apprentice could do. I'll even let you read the reports on it later today. But there's something else that I need to tell you..."

The Sandaime's face softened and his eyes filled with sorrow as he whispered to the Jounin. "I know you hate him Kakashi. Hell, I hate the little shit too. Feel comforted that you don't have to act nice to that demon brat like I have to. You and I know that the Yondaime was his father, but that doesn't matter since he's just a stupid weapon to use. It also doesn't matter given that's he's just a demon."

Kakashi was fixing to interrupt, but the Sandaime motioned for him to be quiet. "No, he's not the Kyuubi. But anyone related to a demon so deeply as to have one sealed inside him is a demon himself. And I hate him because he's deeply associated with the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the demon fox who killed my predecessor and your sensei. The Yondaime was indeed a man that I cared greatly for. I saw him as my own grandson. And all that's left of his legacy is some demon freak. I suppose that's another reason I hate that damn brat so much. Because a lower life form like that little shit is the son of Minato, someone who was important and deeply loved by everyone. Of course, that's something that damn demon will not ever have, nor does some filth like him deserve it. I truly hate any demon. I've learned to hate them after the Kyuubi attacked. The destruction that damn fox caused is a testament of what demons are. They should either be killed or be used as weapons. In this case, this little brat is going to be used as a weapon. If you really want to know one of the main reasons I'm choosing the second option, it's because that was what Minato requested in his will! He had written it all out right before he went to save this great village from that vile and disgusting fox. So you see, even your sensei wanted this, so at least go along with my plan for the sake of his last wish, if not for the sake of this village, ok Kakashi?"

Kakashi let out a long sigh before bowing his head.

"Yes Hokage-sama, I understand now. I'll do this in honor of my sensei. Thank you for enlightening me," Kakashi said.

The Sandaime patted Kakashi on the back.

"You're welcome Kakashi. You are welcome. Now, I still have the law regarding him in effect. No one is allowed to tell the younger generation, including Naruto himself, the truth of how the Kyuubi was sealed inside that brat. And no, I didn't make such a law because I care for him or anything like that. I enacted such a law so that I could keep Naruto convinced that I care for him. And everyone else will believe I care for that thing because I'm either too nice or senile. My reputation in this village is that of a caring old man after all. It's important that Naruto believes he has at least a few precious people in this village so he'll be more loyal to it. That's why I have hired other people in Konoha to act as if they care for him. That way, Naruto will never even think about abandoning this village. If there's anything that demon will inherit from his father, it will be his loyalty and service to this village for the sake of his precious people. The only difference will be that as the demon he is, Naruto won't have any such people. Those same people will only act as if they care for him to ensure he never betrays us. Furthermore, by keeping almost everyone in Konoha believing that I can care for such a vile creature as that boy, there won't be a risk of someone leaking out information regarding my true intentions towards that demon back to him. After all, people would be tempted to share such a truth with that brat to make him suffer more, not to mention that information leaks and rumors usually run rampant in this village anyway. Do you understand all of this Kakashi?"

"Yes Hokage-sama, but is it really wise to discuss this with me in the street?" Kakashi asked nervously as he glanced at the surrounding area. However, he was surprised that despite all the yelling and arguing between him and the Hokage, everyone passed by them as if nothing happened.

Some of Konoha's civillians stared at Kakashi and the Sandaime sadly before sighing and shaking their heads in frustration while walking away.

_'Why does someone so important like the Hokage care for some demon scum anyway_,' one villager thought, as he listened to the conversation, or what he thought he was hearing.

"As I mentioned before Kakashi, I'm the Hokage for a reason. I had cast a Kage level genjutsu around us. It will make everyone around us think that I am scolding you for saying bad things about the demon brat. Don't worry, this genjutsu has not ever been broken or detected yet, and the people that I know of that possibly can break it are certainly not in this village," said the Sandaime, as he thought of his Sannin students and Itachi.

"Damnit, I didn't even detect it. But then again, my Sharingan wasn't active."

"Besides the fact that you're not one of the few people that can detect it Kakashi, another reason for your failure would be because you seem to depend on the ability of that Sharingan eye of yours too much. I had made this genjutsu myself in such a way that not even the Uchihas would be able to sense it, except for perhaps the killer of that clan itself, and he's certainly not in Konoha at this time," said the Hokage in a grave voice, before continuing.

"Now Kakashi, do you understand my plan now? I assume that we're on the same page."

"Of course Hokage-sama. Though, I have to wonder, if you did tell me all of this just so that I would treat that thing differently so your plan will work, than why did you mention about fooling everyone into believing that you care for that demon trash? Why are you telling me of your true intentions Hokage-Sama if you're not wishing anyone to know what you're really planning for the demon?" Kakashi asked.

The old man sighed deeply and he looked much older than he earlier appeared.

As if he knew what he was about to say would bring him a big headache.

"You're going to be the demon's Jounin sensei after he graduates from Konoha's academy. That demon will be paired with Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura," the Sandaime said. "You will be one of the people who he thinks doesn't hate him and you may act just neutral towards him. So you will…"

But Kakashi quickly interrupted before the Hokage could finish.

"No," Kakashi said.

"What do you mean 'no' my dear boy?" asked the Hokage.

"I mean no as in absolutely not. It would be one thing to act…civil towards that thing ever once in awhile, but to be constantly in that demon's presence and still act like that all the time towards him would not work with me. Please Hokage-sama, I'll even take another one of Sasuke's fangirls on my team if it means replacing her with that demon," Kakashi pleaded.

"Enough! I've had it with your whining and complaining Kakashi! You're a damn Jounin for crying out loud, act like it! As ninja, there are always going to be times when we have to conduct a task we don't want to do! You're acting like a newly graduated Genin. Remember your sensei's wish you idiot! Remember that I have to act more than neutral to the little fucker! I actually have to be nice to the stupid thing damnit! So don't you dare complain to me about this when all you have to do is act indifferent to the little shit. Am I clear goddamnit!" the Hokage yelled.

"Yes Hokage-sama," Kakashi sighed, but inwardly he felt sorry for the Sandaime having to go so far as to being kind to the 'demon filth.' It was then that he realized that his situation concerning the 'Kyuubi brat' wasn't near as bad as what it could be when compared to what the Sandaime is having to go through. Perhaps it is better to remember that there are people who can have it worse than you. At this realization, Kakashi was thankful for what he has that others like the Sandaime would envy. Such as the fact that it's only neutral behavior he'll have to display to the demon compared to the kind behavior the Sandaime will have to struggle hard to maintain for that thing. The poor old man...

"Besides, this is actually a mission for you besides just a role for you as a teacher," the Sandaime said. "Normally this would be an A-ranked mission, but since the Battousai trained him, anything having to do with that butcher should be S-ranked anyway. So S-ranked it is."

The Hokage shuddered as he remembered the reports that came in regarding the body counts Leaf ninjas that died against the Battousai. They suffered very brutal deaths. It was unreal the way those poor bastards were killed.

That Japanese samurai was a fucking monster.

"Anyway, your mission will be to keep a close eye on Naruto. Make sure that he is always behind his teammates in terms of what you teach them. We need to make sure Naruto is only powerful enough to be used as a weapon combined with Konoha's forces. He can't be so powerful that he fails to need the assistance of other ninja against an army of enemies…like his master was capable of. No, he shouldn't ever reach the level of his master as long as we stunt his growth," the Sandaime said.

"I'll just teach the little brat tree walking sir, while Sasuke and Sakura will learn everything else. Especially Sasuke since he belongs to the royal Uchiha line. That demon should be far behind them soon enough just as the scum he is," Kakashi said.

The Hokage nodded his head. "Yes, that will be fine Kakashi. If Naruto suspects anything of that sort, then just come up with a good excuse or try to hide your intentions better. And be sure that your excuses are at least better than the ones you use for your late arrivals."

Kakashi chuckled softly. "As you wish Hokage-sama. However…"

Kakashi's face than grew worried, before the Jounin went pale as if he remembered something. "Sir, are you sure you could trust those ANBU alone with Naruto? You know that even ANBU ninja left alone with Naruto had tried to kill him before when given the chance! We don't know what will really happen this time Hokage-sama!"

At this time, the Sandaime could only say one thing that represented a moment of his intelligence. It was a moment of intellect that he'll never be proud of.

"Whoops."

Kakashi just slapped his forehead.

_With Naruto and the ANBU_

Naruto and the ANBU that accompanied him had finally entered the Hokage tower. The whole trip there had been deadly silent. When they finally went into the Hokage's office, some of the ANBU had quickly locked the door, the window, and every other exit they knew of before all of them surrounded Naruto in an attack position.

Naruto just looked at the situation with the same sad face he always wears. It was as if he was expecting the ANBU to pull off such a stunt.

And who knows, perhaps he was?

They all stood there for a minute. The ANBU in their offensive stances while Naruto calmly stood with indifference.

After awhile of tension, the apparent leader of the group sneered at the blond samurai. "Demon, after years of waiting, our patience has rewarded us with your return," he said. "We can finally claim our vengeance, now that your precious sensei isn't here to protect you anymore. The Sandaime had already gave us information about you before you came here to Konoha. We already expected for Hokage-sama to be so senile in his old age, that he would allow us to be alone with you. All we had to do was wait for the right time to strike, just like right now. Any last words demon?"

The ANBU behind their captain pulled out any weapons they had, which was mainly kuani and swords.

Naruto just shook his head in disbelief at the Sandaime's stupidity. Sure, the Sandaime Hokage was good at strategy and all that. But when it came to basic common sense, especially with the confidentiality and safety of other people, the Sandaime was at the short end of the stick.

'_But then again…_' Naruto thought. '_Either the old man intentionally meant for this to happen or didn't care about the possibility of this happening either because of his hatred for me or his confidence in my skills. Perhaps both…_'

"ANBU-san, if you choose to do this, I guarantee you'll risk a lot more than your ninja career. I am supposed to be under the protection of the Hokage as agreed with Japan under the treaty they made. By violating this treaty, you're most likely committing treason against your own village. Plus, last time I looked in the mirror, I didn't see a gigantic fox starting back at me."

The ANBU were not shocked that Naruto knew about the Kyuubi. They had been shocked already when Naruto spoke with the Hokage before about being blamed for the actions of an overgrown fox.

They were over that shock now.

"Yes, I have learned of the Kyuubi and how it was sealed years ago. However, how I learned of it is none of your concern. And as a side note, the only time my sensei had to protect me was when I went up against one of your Sannins. I have already killed plenty of Jounins and ANBU from different villages on this continent. Now..."

Naruto's voice turned cold as immense and intense killer intent could be felt coming from him.

"I'm willing to forget any of this happened. So, we can all just wait here peacefully for the Hokage to arrive. I'll warn any of you now. I don't give a damn about your fucking council or prejudice ways. I suspect that you people are only doing this because you believe I won't fight back, since all of you think that regardless if I fight or kill in self-defense, I'll be punished under this village's laws as the offender regardless of the treaty with Japan, which clearly gives me immunity in cases regarding self-defense."

Naruto shook his head and sighed. "Clearly the concept of completely holding your end of an agreement is lost on Konoha's ninja. So I will tell all of you this right now..."

Naruto slowly unsheathed his sword. There seemed to be historic bloodstains still smeared on the blade, making the ninja around him nervous and severely thinking twice about what they're planning to do.

"If you choose the option of illegally ignoring that treaty by attacking me, I will not kill you, but you will be in very much pain. That I can assure you greatly."

The leader ANBU scoffed. "So? You're just a samurai. It doesn't matter what those stupid reports said. And those foolish claims of Japanese samurai actually causing loads of dead ninjas in coffins to be sent back to Konoha is hogwash. It had to be ninja from other villages that took out a number of our own. I refuse to believe that some lowly samurai is equal in anyway to a ninja. In the end, all those stories of you and your master, as well as the rest of those pathetic samurai in Japan, wielding flashy powers with their swords and such, it's all a bunch of horseshit. The samurai in Japan probably used some sort of illusions to fool stupid ninja into believing that crap about their so-called power. And I'll prove it now by killing you demon!"

The leader of the ANBU started to slowly advance on Naruto while drawing out his own blade.

Naruto gave one last warning to the fool. "I warn you now ANBU-san. The reason you'll be in great pain is because you'll lose some limbs. You'll never be able to be a ninja again. I will try to keep myself from killing though unless I have to."

"You'll be the only one in great pain boy after we're done with you," said the ANBU captain viciously before commanding the rest of the ANBU behind him. "ANBU squad! We'll attack him together. Go!" he yelled.

Nothing happened

"Huh?" was the oh so intelligent response of the ANBU captain, as he turned back to his squad behind him, and grew angry at what he saw.

There the ANBU squad was, slowly backing away from the scene until they were pressed against the wall, shivering.

"C-captain..." one of them stuttered before continuing, "We're sorry, but we're backing out of this. Don't get me wrong, we hate the demon very much, but...the risks are just not worth it. I've heard about the victims that fell to that demon's blade. There's something about that boy…something terrible. Somehow, and some way, I just know that demon is telling the truth. I was a fool to actually listen to your denial of the reports concerning the Japanese samurai. I'm sorry sir, but I don't want to die the way some of our ninja did when they fell to those blade-wielding monsters. Some of the victims were cut up so bad that they were only barely recognizable limbs and pieces of carved flesh. I just don't know why I followed through with this in the first place. Feel free to demote me or unleash upon myself any punishment you see fit. But I'm not stepping another foot towards…towards that…that thing!" The ANBU pointed a shaky figure at Naruto.

The scared ANBU continued to speak. "Please...sir, don't underestimate the Japanese samurai. The information and reports about them are all true! I told you before about it, but you just ignored it and somehow convinced me that all of it was just false rumors and myths. But standing before one of those samurai, especially the demon, I can just know, as if by heart and soul, that you are very wrong about those reports being false sir. Very wrong."

The rest of the ANBU nodded their heads in agreement.

The ANBU captain just glared at them and was about to respond to his squad very harshly for being cowards, before the Hokage and Kakashi rushed through the door and stopped in confusion regarding the scene.

"What the hell is going on here!" bellowed the Hokage as he leveled a fierce glare towards the entire group in front of him.

The ANBU captain should at least be credited with the fact that he remained unfazed by the Hokage's presence. "The death of the Kyuubi brat, that's what!" he sneered.

The Hokage tried to stop the delusional ninja, he really did.

But the ANBU captain was too close to the blond samurai as he charged at him with everything he had.

Naruto just stood there, with that unnerving constant sad look he held, as if the ANBU captain's threat against his life meant nothing to the manslayer's current sorrow, which angered the captain even more.

Just when the ANBU captain stabbed his sword towards Naruto's heart, an amazing and horrific action took place.

It was unreal to the people in that room, even for Kakashi who had dealt with Japanese samurai. Everyone else had never seen anything like it. When the ANBU captain was about to pierce his sword through Naruto's chest, it was as if there was a sudden pause in time for almost everyone but the manslayer himself, before time itself resumed and blood was everywhere around the office. The scene was followed by a blood-curling scream.

The Hokage, along with everyone else beside him, had a look of surprise and horror on their faces. Sure, they heard all of the stories regarding the cruelty and bloodshed that the Battousai and his apprentice committed, and one would at first perhaps believe that he or she wouldn't be shocked to see it after already hearing about it. But that's very wrong. Seeing the act actually being committed in front of you is an entire different thing from just hearing about it. Because then the image is actually ingrained into your head. That's when you really know the truth of what you heard. There's no escaping the surprise or horror after witnessing for yourself what those with the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu are capable of.

The Hokage was taking deep breaths as his heartbeat felt like it was fixing to burst out of his chest soon. There, on his feet, were the ANBU's arms. That's right, both of his bloody and severed arms, crossed together as if representing a cross. The Sandaime hadn't seen so much gore since the last ninja war he fought in.

One of the ANBU members was shaking as he had caught his captain's left leg, which continued to let loose blood all over his arms and the rest of his ANBU armor. Pretty soon, the guy's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he dropped the leg and fainted.

The Hokage frowned at that particular ANBU's behavior. ANBU members were supposed to at least act calm and collected even in the presence of that much gore and bloodshed. Fainting like a certain Hyuuga Heiress was certainly not one of them. He would most certainly remember to demote that one to Chunin later on. How that guy even became ANBU, he would never know.

Apparently the ANBU captain just had one leg now.

The guy was practically screaming bloody murder as he cried like a baby. He was pathetically begging for Naruto's mercy and promised to never hurt or insult the 'Kyuubi brat' again.

Naruto's left eye twitched at the man's ignorance to call him by the name of that fox demon after already promising never to insult him. He would have just killed him then and there to just shut him up, but there was still a part of his conscious telling him not to do so since the man was no threat anymore. He still felt obligated not to kill unless it was absolutely necessary. However, ever since he was forced to come back to Konoha, that conscious was slowly starting to fade away. As if his sanity was beginning to peel off from his mind and be coated with darkness.

Besides of just what remains of Naruto's conscious, there's also the fact that he would most likely be sent to prison or executed by the council, regardless if he acted in self-defense or not. Naruto could still be taken down by a whole lot of ANBU or hunter-nins. Especially since he's deep in their territory.

After all, Naruto is only just barely at low kage level. Heck, he may even be punished for injuring his attacker so much. But if he was going to be killed or imprisoned for defending himself, than he would go down fighting as hard he can.

The Hokage snapped out of his shock and quickly ordered the ANBU that were still standing to carry their captain to the hospital. Before they left however, they stared at Naruto for a few seconds, and he stared at them right back. There was a quiet agreement then. One could also call it a silent withdraw. In the current situation, they would have lied to the Hokage by informing him that Naruto attacked them and their captain first. As Naruto and them knew, it was themselves that were initially going to attack Naruto in the first place. However, Naruto hadn't said a word about their actions yet, as if it was the captain that just went off all of a sudden and began attacking him.

As Naruto is now, he may even have some way of proving it too. The Battousai and his apprentice were always tricky, so they thought it wise to certainly not underestimate Naruto.

The gravely injured ANBU captain's team agreed that as long as Naruto didn't accuse them of anything, than they wouldn't try to act like he was the one that attacked them.

As for Naruto himself, he just figured that as long as he acted that it was the captain who was going to attack him, than there would be a better chance of the rest of the ANBU to not lie to the Hokage by accusing Naruto of attacking all of them for no reason. It would just lead to confusion, headaches, and wasted time.

Overall, after questioning Naruto and the rest of the ANBU that accompanied him, the Hokage was convinced that it was just the ANBU captain that attacked Naruto.

Of course, the Sandaime had still punished the ANBU for not moving to stop their captain from hurting Naruto by assigning them a week of D-rank missions. The old Hokage still had to keep up his public image of caring for Naruto after all.

After the ANBU had left to carry their captain to the hospital, along with his limbs, the Hokage turned to address Naruto.

"You know, it's going to take some work to clean up all of the blood in here Naruto."

"I apologize Hokage-sama. I had given as much warning as I could to him, but he still insisted on attacking me."

The Sandaime sighed, "I know Naruto, I know. But you're not in Japan anymore. Nor is this wartime, something that I'm sure you're still used to. There's no use for you to still retain those sorts of reflexes around my ninja boy. The way you injured that ninja was…disturbing to say the least. I'm sure that's how you samurai spare someone's life in Japan, even if it's against someone on your own side. But Naruto, here, in the Leaf village, if a fellow ninja attacks you like that, you just knock the person out. You temporarily disable them. We don't permanently end their ninja career, ok?"

The Hokage moved behind his dest and sat down. "That ANBU captain probably has a family to support. Being a ninja was perhaps all he knew. He could have proved to still be useful and valuable to the Leaf village had you not ended his life as a ninja so soon. Please try to follow Konoha's practice from now on, because you can't keep doing this…" The Hokage gestured to the blood covered walls and floor, "everytime someone attacks you. Even if it's someone of Konoha that is trying to kill you. I'm going to barely be able to keep the council off your back about this Naruto. This isn't exactly a good way to earn the village's acknowledgement or respect.

"More importantly, it's not a good way to keep yourself alive for being used as Konoha's weapon." Of course, the Sandaime had whispered that last part to himself.

The Hokage took light up his smoking pipe and took a few puffs to calm his stress before he spoke again. "In fact, it will probably be best if you don't retaliate at all. So, from now on, if anyone attacks you, regardless if they're intending to kill you or not, don't fight back and wait for ANBU to assist you. And don't try to dodge them either, since that will just aggravate your attackers much more. Though, you can dodge attacks that will kill you or leave you permanently damaged. But only if you're sure such attacks are that deadly."

The Hokage sighed before he continued. "Otherwise, just take their hits until ANBU can show up to help out," he said. "And don't worry, I will know when you're being attacked, and so will the ANBU. "Do you understand me young one?"

"I won't permanently injure my attackers to the point where they lose their limbs or can't continue their ninja career Hokage-sama," Naruto said. "However, it will take getting used to considering my habit to act towards attackers after living in Japan."

The Hokage smiled in relief. "Excellent, I'm glad I can count on you my boy!" he exclaimed. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine at getting over that, umm, habit of yours! Now, come and sit down, there's some things that I wish to discuss."

Luckily, while Naruto and the Hokage had been talking, there were maids and cleanup crews that had gotten rid of the bloody mess that was left in the office from the violent scene not too long ago.

Not a drop of red was left.

Also, the Sandaime just assumed that Naruto had agreed to not retaliating or even dodging in regards to any attacks against him.

Naruto never agreed to that part of his request.

"No thank you Hokage-sama, I prefer to stand," Naruto said.

"Very well, if you insist," the Hokage said. "Now, Naruto, the Leaf village has searched for you for years and turned up with nothing. So, you can imagine how surprised I was when I found out you were in Japan. Fighting in their war, as the Battousai's apprentice no less! So, mind telling me how you ended up disappearing from this village and somehow ending up in Japan of all places?"

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves before opening them again and speaking. "As you likely know, Kenshin-sensei was the brother of Kushina, a ninja originally from Whirlpool Country and became a ninja here in Konoha. I know it was her that gave birth to me. It was my uncle, Kenshin-sensei, who took me away from this place when I was four years old. Yes, Kenshin-sensei told me who my mother was, as well as my father. So you don't have to worry about keeping that particular secret from me. I know that my father was the Yondaime Hokage, also known as Minato Namikaze."

Naruto noticed the Sandaime's shocked expression, before he continued. "I also know that in the last ninja war, he was known as 'Konoha's Yellow Flash,'" he said. "It was Kenshin-sensei that told me all of this, but I'm sure that you were worried that he would." Naruto glared at the Hokage. "I suppose your worries are confirmed now aren't they?"

The Sandaime looked down in disappointment. He had really been hoping that redheaded bastard, Kenshin, kept his mouth shut about Naruto's heritage. It would have been much easier for him to manipulate the boy had he not known about his parents. It would have made Naruto look up to him more as a parental figure.

By still thinking of himself as an orphan, the Sandaime thought that Naruto would be less angry with Konoha's people for their hatred towards him, and thus the boy would be more docile. There would be a less chance of him fighting back or betraying the village. And given that teachers at the academy would hindrance Naruto's education, the boy would come to believe that his skills and intelligence were naturally poor. But now that the young samurai knows of his parents, Naruto would be more likely to question the motives of the teachers at the academy towards him, as well as the motives of the Hokage himself. That's understandable considering the Yondaime and his wife were known for being a genius throughout their whole life. Their brilliance and skills were known to most ninja in the Leaf village for goodness sakes! It's even worse now that Naruto knew the Hokage kept such personal secrets from him.

"And as the letter I had sent to you mentioned, I know of the fox sealed in me," Naruto said. "Again, it was Kenshin-sensei that told me of this other little secret you kept from me. So now, I want to ask why you felt that it was needed to keep me in the dark about my own heritage, as well as why I hadn't known about having a gigantic demon sealed into me…unwillingly I might add, by your village's hero."

The Hokage winced at the jab of Naruto's referring to Konoha as 'his village,' like Naruto doesn't even accept Konoha as his own home. As if he's still looking at Japan as his home country. It was something that the Sandaime wanted to fix to maintain Naruto's loyalty.

"Not only unwillingly sealed into me by the Yondaime, but sealed just to save an ungrateful village. A village that looked upon me as low as the dirt they walk on just because I unwillingly saved their lives, which according to the Yondaime, should have made me a hero of this spoiled village. Now, I'm not much for heroism Hokage-sama. In fact, it probably would have been annoying for everyone to acknowledge me for being forced to save them when I hardly did anything back then. I was just a mere baby and the Yondaime clearly did all the work to seal the Kyuubi no Kitsune," Naruto said.

Naruto lowered his head a little before he continued. "After all, I like to be acknowledged as myself and to be respected for something I did. However, since my own father used me as an unwilling container for the demon, the least the village could have done was treat me as an ordinary child. I wouldn't even mind if they ignored me most of the time as long as they'd leave me alone and let me go about my business like everyone else."

Naruto's face scrunched up in disgust. "But no, as ungrateful as they are, they couldn't even do that. Their thanks was by beating on me daily, denying me service to their restaurants and stores, spitting on me and throwing insults my way, making me isolated by making sure none of their kids would be kind to me, refusing me medical attention whenever they had the chance, and especially the assassinations where I would usually be slowly tortured before being killed and as if scripted, some random ANBU would just appear and save me before I died or be injured for life."

The Hokage was sweating bullets at this point. He knew all of it was true, but he didn't want Naruto to know that he could care less about his pain or troubles since he saw the kid as just a demon. It was just important he could be used as a weapon. That's all. The Sandaime quickly thought of some bullshit to tell Naruto. "Naruto, I couldn't tell you who your parents were because I didn't want you to feel as if you were in the Yondaime's shadow. Uhh, also, I didn't want to tell you because I didn't wish for you to become arrogant and selfish."

The Sandaime then had the authdacity to try to make himself look caring and wise. "I didn't want you to rely on your father's name to have everything handed down to you as a spoiled gaki," he said. "Not that you are spoiled or anything."

The Hokage nervously laughed before he continued. "I thought that you would become more humble and powerful if you were unaware of your heritage. Which I see that you are…."

'_Too Powerful at such a young age,_' the Hokage thought before he went on. "Your father had also mentioned in his will that he didn't want you to know of your heritage until you achieved the rank of Chunin," he said. "Chuunin is a certain rank given to ninja."

Actually, the Yondaime's will did request something from the Sandaime regarding Naruto's heritage. It requested for Naruto to be ignorant of his heritage for the rest of his life.

Sarutobi , the Sandaime Hokage, felt sadden that he couldn't honor that particular request for the man he saw as a grandson.

"But, I was going to wait until you became a Chuunin before I would tell you," the Sandaime said. "One of the main reasons I didn't wish to tell you before then was because I wasn't sure how you would handle the truth. It must be a lot to take in after all. The same reasons are why I didn't tell you who your mother was, since she was also a legendary ninja of the Leaf. Maybe not as famous as your father, but she was still legendary. Speaking of your mother…"

The Sandaime made sure to make his face look sad before he could continue with his lies. "I'm afraid your mother died giving birth to you. I'm sorry Naruto, but you have no family left. You're the last Namikaze and Uzumaki."

Inwardly the Hokage smiled in relief and gave himself a mental pat on the back.

Naruto sighed in frustration. "You're still keeping secrets Hokage-sama," he said.

The Sandaime stiffened.

"You honestly think I'm not aware of Kushina's treachery. My sensei found out that she left the village a few weeks later after she became aware of the fox being sealed inside me. So don't bother with trying to convince me to remember her as some wonderful mother and brave hero. She certainly wasn't brave enough to stay here and raise me. Kushina just left me to rot in this village. Not even a will or a goodbye note. She obviously knew the kind of hell she was leaving me in, and yet she didn't even care. Didn't even look back or feel guilty of it.

Naruto looked at his fingernails. "In fact, Kushina was pleased about being one of the main causes of the demon's," Naruto sneered the last word before continuing, "suffering. I know of this as well since a few years after she left, it was my uncle that confronted her. According to him, she showed her true colors and what she thought of the demon spawn. Her own son."

The blond samurai paused to light up a cigarette before he continued. "She left me here, because she wanted me to suffer at the hands of this village. She knew what my life would be like while living here. But she was amused and gleeful about my pain. And don't you dare try to hide that from me like you hid everything else Hokage-sama. Kenshin-sensei was the one that told me the truth. The truth about everything."

The Sandaime rubbed his forehead. He was starting to get a headache.

"Naruto, your sensei could have lied to you about her…"

"No Hokage-sama, he wasn't. He may have been very harsh in my training, as well as a very demanding commander, but he never lied to me about something as big as the Kyuubi being sealed inside me or who my parents were. He was the one that was truthful to me about such hidden secrets. It also seems that Kushina is a loudmouth, since she bragged to my sensei about being able to leave the village without being marked as a missing-nin."

Naruto then opened his eyes and looked at the Hokage. "She boasted about how the Sandaime allowed her to leave her son to suffer while she was able to leave unpunished. I'm satisfied at least that I didn't inherit her habit of bragging. She seems to talk too much according to my sensei. Why did you allow her to leave Hokage-sama? Please, entertain with me an explanation."

The Hokage was now aggravated with Kushina. She never really could keep her big mouth shut. She would have a habit of releasing sensitive information or secrets because of her arrogance or carelessness. And she could never just talk normally. No, she had to yell out her words. It was as if she had to be sure that the whole world could hear her voice. The Hokage was silently thankful that Naruto didn't inherit such annoying behavior. It could be really aggravating. But then again, at least Kushina wasn't also a fangirl like those Harunos turned out to be. Now that would really be a nightmare to deal with.

Still, despite all of Kushina's faults, she was very loyal to the village. The Sandaime saw her as his granddaughter. Indeed, he cared very much for her over some demon, so he certainly wasn't going to sit down and allow this filth to badmouth her. He never appreciated anyone's opinion if it was negative to the Yondaime and his wife.

Naruto waited for the Sandaime's response before the old man leveled a glare towards Naruto. "Don't you ever talk about your mother that way again young man. She was a great warrior and fought bravely for Konoha," he said sternly.

The Sandaime's eyes then softened. "Try to be more sympathetic with the poor girl Naruto. After the Kyuubi attack, she was terribly distraught and her mentality was fixing to snap. You reminded her a lot of your father. Too much of your father. She also didn't accept you as her son because she thought of you as the Kyuubi. She kept believing that you mocked her by being the Kyuubi who was possessing her son's body."

The Sandaime paused to take a few more puffs of his pipe before he continued. "As a result, Kushina felt that her son was already dead. I tried all I could to convince her to stay. To persuade her that you weren't a demon. Just an ordinary human baby. I did all I could to show her the truth that you were truthfully her and Minato's son." The Sandaime's eyes narrowed. "But she always was stubborn. Once she made up her mind about something, she always stuck to it no matter what."

The Sandaime paused to allow this information to sink in before continuing. "I couldn't just force her to stay either Naruto. If I did that, she would have likely become completely mad and dangerous. She probably would try to take her anger out on you as much as she could or worse, end your life. And she might have chosen to leave the village and be marked as a missing-nin. I cared greatly for her, and so I couldn't allow the woman to face such a cruel fate. I had to choose the less of two evils Naruto. If I allowed her to stay, it would only be worse for her and you."

The Sandaime sat back further into his chair. "So, with much sorrow, I gave Kushina a pass to leave the village. She's still part of this village's ninja force, but she's marked as inactive," he said. "Naruto, I want you to know that was a time where you mother was severely mentally distressed. I beg of you to forgive her, she's only human. She probably didn't come back yet because…umm, because she's too ashamed to face you for having to leave all of a sudden. Yes, that's it. I'm sure she loves you Naruto. Just give her a chance. Please forgive her."

But the Sandaime knew he was just making up shit. The truth was that he didn't blame the Yondaime's wife for getting rid of that 'vile demon scum.' The Hokage completely agreed with her idea of abandoning him and was sympathetic with her reasons for leaving Naruto. Of course, those reasons mostly consisted of their hate for the blond-haired baby. All the Hokage did was help her move away from Konoha and convince her even more to get rid of the kid. She faced no argument whatsoever.

Naruto simply shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say Hokage-sama. I'm sure that someday I will come to forgive her," Naruto whispered.

But there was a dark meaning behind Naruto's words that the Sandaime didn't catch.

The Hokage clapped his hands in glee as he sported a wide grin on his face. "Excellent my boy! Yes, I'm certain that you'll find it in your heart to accept her apology. That's the spirit!"

The Hokage cleared his throat, before he continued. "Well, we still have much to discuss, like your life in Japan, what all techniques you've learned and how to perform them, information about your sensei, if there was anything else important that your sensei told you, what places you've lived in at Japan, and…"

But before the Sandaime could continue, he was quickly interrupted by Naruto. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but I wish to keep such information to myself. I hope you can understand, considering that you ninja are known to keep critical information like that to yourselves. Like I said before, I didn't inherit Kushina's loud mouth. I especially don't want people to know too much about my sword style or everything else I've learned. It's just that I don't want to release information pertaining to anything that can be used against me. My life in Japan was just that, my life. It's personal, and I mean to not share it with anyone."

Inside, the Hokage was mentally fuming at the insolence of this 'little demon brat!' Even more so since he had insulted Kushina again. Demons are below human beings, thus they should hand over anything they come across to their superiors. How dare that brat be selfish and not share what he's acquired! Never mind the fact that the Hokage himself kept secrets from Naruto regarding his own heritage and fate of having a demon sealed inside him. The Hokage was on the brink of just beating the boy into the ground before demanding the brat to hand over everything he learned.

And that damn sensei of his! He wanted to know everything about that man! From the cloths he wore to his darkest secrets!

Any sword style or technique Naruto could hand over would greatly upgrade Konoha's ninja. They could adapt the most deadly Japanese samurai fighting style into their own way of the ninja and have the strongest fighters in all of the Elemental Countries for sure! With such power, Konoha would have a huge advantage that every other ninja village lacked. But all of this was being denied to him and the village because of some 'rotten punk of a demon' refusing to bow down to his betters.

After a moment, the Hokage relaxed and calmed his thoughts. '_No, there's no need for me to get angry over this. I should have known sooner that this demon would deny me such useful knowledge after he found out I held so many big secrets from him. Damn that sensei of his! If he were still alive, I would have legions of hunter-nin track him down and end his life!'_

The Hokage calmed himself down again before continuing his thoughts._ 'Still, this is only a temporary drawback. All I have to do is manipulate the demon to be loyal to this village and me. That will just take paying off and ordering some people to be precious to him. Heh, like anyone would want to be precious to that thing. Sure, I could just hold him in a cell and have Ibiki torture that brat to get the information I want out of him. But no, there are too many risks to that method. If I do that, he may become too unstable to the point where he's dangerous to be left alive. Or the boy may be so mentally scarred that he'll cease to even function as a weapon anymore. _

The Hokage frowned.

_'Another risk is that Naruto may have already been heavily trained to resist torture. He did fight in a very bloody revolution after all. He may have been really tortured before. In that case, Naruto would surly not be loyal to me or Konoha after finding out my true motives. It would likely be impossible to use him as a weapon then. And then there's the number of causalities that would result from all the Leaf ninja trying to take the demon down so that he could be even interrogated! The worst case that could happen is the Kyuubi being released because of all of this. I never truly understood that damn seal Minato made.'_

The Hokage rubbed his forehead._ "No, I have to remain calm and not take such drastic actions. With patience and time, I will acquire all of the demon's secrets. I'll just have to wait and make my decisions carefully_…'

The Hokage released a warm smile to the blond. "Of course, I understand Naruto! Besides, I suppose it's only fair after I wrongly kept secrets from you. Please forgive me child. I was just so interested in the life you lived since I hadn't seen you for such a long time. I always wondered where you were and how you were doing. I care for you as my grandson after all. When you were smaller, you used to come into my office and always tell me of your day. I suppose I'm still used to such behavior coming from you. You've just grown up too fast."

The Sandaime smiled sadly at Naruto.

Naruto sighed. "I suppose I've had to grow up fast Hokage-sama. Thank you for understanding. Is there anything else you wish to speak to me about?"

The Hokage nodded his head. "Yes, there is still current business we need to discuss. As you can most likely guess, I want you to become a ninja of the Leaf. You fought one of my students. Does the name, Jiraiya, ring a bell?"

"Yes, it does," Naruto said. "He was the only ninja that has defeated me so far."

The blond samurai took a drag out of his cigarette. "He was a worthy opponent."

The Sandaime cleared his throat. "Yes, well, according to him, you weren't easily defeated Naruto, so there's no need for you to feel down over your defeat," he said. "Not to mention Jiraiya is one of the Leaf's strongest ninjas."

The Sandaime chuckled, while Naruto's expression just remained the same as he gave the Hokage a blank stare.

The Hokage sighed. '_He at least could have showed some reaction to my joke. Honestly, where's the demon's sense of humor? Oh well. Japanese Samurai are just plain weird anyway_.'

"Naruto, from your fight with him, Jiraiya told me that he's certain you're barely at low kage level. After I saw how swiftly dealt with that ANBU captain, I would have to agree. Would you agree with Jiraiya on his estimate of your skills?"

"I'm not sure Hokage-sama," Naruto said. "Japan does not even have a ranking system like you ninja do. In Japan, we judge each other's skill based on what we see and experience in battle. We don't judge others based on reported information from a ranking system."

The Hokage nodded. "I see. Well, in the ninja world, a ranking system helps us keep information about our ninja organized," he said. For instance, if you confronted an enemy ninja you know nothing about, than our village's ranking system for enemy ninja can possibly give you information regarding his or her rank. It can give you a good analysis of that particular ninja's skills. So it's quiet useful whenever you lack any information about a ninja you fought. That way, if you ever fight that same ninja again, you'll be better prepared."

The Sandaime waved his hands in the air before moving on. "Anyway, I'm starting to get off topic. Jiraiya is very good at judging people's ranks after fighting them. I'm more convinced after I saw how easily you dealt with that ANBU ninja. A captain no less... So, I'll have it recorded in some data files about your skill level. I keep data files on all of Konoha's ninja after all."

The Sandaime folded his hands on his desk and sat up straighter in his chair. "Now then, like you samurai have dojos for training and teaching, us ninja have an academy where people in our village can attend as students and become ninjas. It's where all the basics of being a ninja are learned. However, despite your power and skill, I'll have to send you to the academy, since you're currently a samurai, not a ninja. That way, you'll be able to combine everything you learned as a samurai with what you'll be taught at the academy. In your last year, you'll have to take a basic test to become a Leaf ninja. Being a samurai, I'm sure you don't know the correct ninja techniques to pass this test yet…"

But the Hokage was interrupted by Naruto before he could continue.

"Excuse me Hokage-sama," Naruto said. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm sure that I know enough ninja techniques to pass the required test to become a Genin. Yes, I do know some about this village's own ranking system and other basic concepts concerning ninja in general, especially Leaf ninja. Back on topic though, Jiraiya should have mentioned about me using basic ninja jutsus to fight him after all, didn't he?"

The Hokage narrowed his eyes. He secretly had a strong feeling that Naruto was well adapt at shinobi fighting. He had already made arrangements for the blond to be placed on a Genin team. He had just acted like he was going to have Naruto attend the academy, so he could confirm what he already deeply knew about Naruto having shinobi skills by getting Naruto to confess that he had them.

However, Sarutobi was irritated that Jiraiya didn't inform him that Naruto did in fact have shinobi skills. He would have to have a little 'chat' with Jiraiya about that later. "No, no he didn't tell me of this. Can you show me the techniques you used Naruto? And furthermore, how did you even learn jutsus or anything else having to do with shinobi?"

Naruto just responded by replacing himself with one of the chairs in the room using a kawarimi jutsu. "I've learned mostly basic ninja techniques along with some fire and wind jutsus. Some of these basic ninja techniques include water walking."

The Hokage blanched at Naruto's stunning progress as the blond continued. "I'm interested in passing this test you speak of Hokage-sama. Please give me a chance so I can see if I can pass it before just sending me to the academy."

"Well, at your age students would be in their last year at the academy and taking their test to become Genin," Sarutobi responded. "I suppose I can let you take it since you won't be left behind if you pass. In fact, we'll take this test right here in my office. Ok then! To pass the academy, you'll need to perform the henge jutsu, do a kawarimi jutsu, and use the bunshin jutsu to create three clones. Of course, you won't have to perform a kawarimi given that I've already seen you perform it a while ago."

Sarutobi took some more puffs from his pipe. "Now, you may begin whenever you're ready Naruto-kun."

The Sandaime was confident that Naruto would fail to do the bunshin jutsu since he thought that the boy would have way too much chakra due to the Kyuubi and being the Yondaime's son. Minato always had an unnatural large amount of chakra when he was alive.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Is that all Hokage-sama? I was expecting an assassination or some sort of torture."

The Hokage chuckled, but stopped laughing when he saw that Naruto was being serious. The Sandaime frowned as he shivered at the thought of academy students ever having to go through so much just to become Genins. "No, Naruto-kun. I shall remind you again that you are not in Japan anymore. Perhaps that was your initiation to become a samurai, but you don't have to worry about such things when you want to become a ninja here."

Naruto nodded in understanding before he henged and became the perfect image of his sensei. It was a perfect henge too. Right down to the position of the Battousai's sword and his empty purple eyes. The Sandaime couldn't help but feel...disturbed. It seemed that Naruto did too well with henging into his sensei. It was such a perfect copy of the original Battousai that the Sandaime sworn he could have felt the imitating presence that the Battousai was always known to carry.

Yes, too real indeed. What a deadly man Naruto's sensei was.

The Hokage was getting nervous. "O-ok Naruto, that's enough. You…you can release the henge now."

And so Naruto released his henge.

"Go ahead and perform your bunshin whenever you're ready Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said.

If the Hokage thought that nothing else surprising about Naruto would happen, then he was wrong. The blond quickly performed the necessary hand seals and seemed to be concentrating a little hard. "Bunshin no Jutsu," he whispered.

Three perfect copies of Naruto appeared in the room.

The Sandaime went wide-eyed; "I see," he said. "I was mistaken about sending you to the academy Naruto. You've really passed this test with flying colors! It seems you won't be left behind others your age after all. Who in the world taught you though Naruto? Surely you couldn't have learned everything about ninja fighting from just scrolls!"

"Actually, a lot of what I learned about ninja techniques did come from scrolls. But other ninja who fought alongside me did help when I first started out learning about how shinobi battle," Naruto said. "So, I learned mostly by just making due with what I had Hokage-sama."

"Hmm, I see. Very well. Since you never went into any shinobi academy nor been registered as a ninja anywhere, I'll have to rank you as a Genin. Also, it would be good for you to be around kids your age anyway. Be sure to report to the academy in ten days. I'll walk with you over there to make sure that the academy teacher instructing those of your age group will be aware of your circumstances. Is that alright with you?"

"I really don't care about rank Hokage-sama, so feel free to take that course of action," Naruto said.

And really, Naruto didn't give a flip about the stupid ranks ninja used.

'_Besides, perhaps ranking me as a Genin is for the best. The ninja here are so dependent on their ranking system that they'll be likely to often underestimate me, giving me the advantage of surprise. It's ironic, really. Ninja are supposed to be secretive and have trump cards under their sleeves all the time.'_

Naruto took a drag out of his cigarette before continuing his train of thought._ 'Yet, in spite of that, they depend on a rank system to judge their opponent's skills. They actually expect such a system to be correct and even act on it! For all they know, they could be underestimating an enemy just because he's listed as a Genin when really, like myself, he or she could possess the skills of a Kage. And then Sarutobi bothers to brag about their ranking system. The only good a system like that can do is keep enemy ninjas underestimating me so I can defeat them more easily. Yes, the Hokage is actually helping me by ranking me as a Genin. I can use the ninja's own system of ranking against them._'

The Hokage interrupted Naruto's thoughts. "I'm glad we're on the same page Naruto-kun. Remember to be at the academy in 6 days! I'll escort you there myself. Oh, and one more thing."

The Hokage opened one of the drawers in his desk before he took out a Leaf hitai-ate and threw it to Naruto. He grabbed it.

"Congratulations! Every student who passes the Genin test receives a ninja hitai-ate. Please wear it at all times," Sarutobi said. "Oh, I almost forgot. I already got you an apartment to live in while you stay in Konoha from now on. There are already groceries and other necessities in there waiting for you."

The Sandaime handed over to Naruto a key and a piece of paper with directions to his new apartment and to Konoha's ninja academy.

"Now, I believe our meeting is over Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said. "You are dismissed."

Naruto tied his hitai-ate around his left arm. "Thank you Hokage-sama," he responded. "I'll be taking my leave." The Battousai's apprentice gave a quick bow to the Hokage before walking out of the office.

A few days later, any of the ninja that the Sandaime trusted with information concerning Naruto was quickly released to the public. It seems Konoha's ninja could never keep their promise of confidentiality to the Hokage whenever there was anything concerning the blond-haired samurai. Though, the Hokage never bothered telling anyone about Naruto's heritage or anything like that. But after just a few days, everyone in Konoha had learned of where their local 'demon brat' had been and who he was. The Battousai's apprentice, the one that had slain a number of Konoha's ninja.

So, as one can imagine, the families of those dead ninja were even more enraged at Naruto when they found out the true identity of the Battousai's apprentice, which was the demon brat himself.

Sure, those particular ninja had followed the first S-class secret the Hokage made concerning Naruto. But when they had learned of who Naruto was in Japan and been told by the Hokage to keep it a secret, those ninja felt that they had enough. To them, it was one thing to allow the 'Kyuubi kid' to roam around the village, but for that same kid to the student of one of the Leaf's most deadliest enemies was the last straw for them. It was then that they were so fed up with the Hokage's actions regarding the 'demon' that they went as far as to disobey an S-class order. They never did think of breaking the first S-class law the Hokage made about Naruto. They were so focused on the second law that it just slipped their minds.

Honestly, the ninja that released such sensitive information were only doing so to hurt Naruto. Some of those individual ninja had lost good friends or family members to Naruto and his master's blade. They were too deep in their hatred towards Naruto to realize that they were putting their own village in jeopardy by trying to claim revenge upon the blond in such a way. This is true given that now practically everyone in the world knew where the Battousai's apprentice was. So, there was a good chance that both samurai and ninja would head to Konoha just to test their skills against the young manslayer.

What's worse is that there are also people that may head to Konoha just to claim revenge on Naruto for being the cause of deaths of anyone they cared for. A lot of those people would probably kill anyone and anything in their way to lay a hand on the sword wielding demon container.

Indeed, it would certainly put Konoha at risk.

In the end, the ninja that released the dangerous information only came to realize their mistake too late when the Hokage had them executed for giving away an S-class secret to everyone. The Sandaime had wanted to keep Naruto's apprenticeship and his life in Japan a secret for a little while longer. The truth of the identity of the Battousai's apprentice was supposed to be a trump card. A way for Konoha to surprise their enemies. Not to mention the obvious problems that would arise due to the revelation of the Leaf's new hidden weapon so soon. But, the Hokage did comfort himself with the fact that at least enemies and potential traitors of Konoha would come to fear the notion of ever crossing the village even more.

But the damage caused by those traitorous ninjas was already done. Naruto was hated more now, if that was even possible.

Everyone also knew exactly what cloak and hat Naruto wore, so he certainly couldn't use that disguise anymore. They probably knew what he looked like without the cloak as well. After all, those ninjas who had broken the second S-class secret about him were probably told by the Sandaime almost everything about him. The Sandaime probably did that because the ninjas given such information were to keep an eye out on him in the event that he started causing probems or showed signs of suspecious behavior. It probably would be easier for them to know what he looked like if he ever decided to go out into public without his cloak on.

Needless to say, there were a lot of mobs that went after Naruto.

However, those very same mobs would soon become piles of broken and bruised bodies. Bodies that could do nothing but moan in pain.

Fuck what the Hokage said, Naruto wasn't going to just stand there and be anyone's scapegoat. Not after he had already went though so much in his life and made it this far to his current skill level. Now it was the mobs that were already beaten to the ground by the time ANBU showed up, instead of the other way around like it used to be.

_6 Days Later_

The day for the ninja academy had finally arrived for Naruto. He had woken up and went through the usual exercises his sensei taught him, which mostly consisted of meditation, pushups, katas, sit-ups, and every other activity that samurai in Japan would do in the morning to start their day. After he had finished, Naruto went to take a shower and clean himself up. When he was done, the young samurai got dressed. However, instead of wearing the same cloak and hat he had worn since his stay at Konoha, Naruto finally decided to wear something different.

So, as Naruto left his apartment and walked down the street, people took notice of his different cloths as they glared at him. Naruto was wearing a pair of black hakama pants, a full-length black kimono, and over the kimono a blood red haori. He also had his katana strapped to the left side of his waist in a black sheath. It was strange a attire for everyone around him to see. Of course, that's because the kind of clothes Naruto wore were not worn often in Konoha. It was custom for samurai to wear such clothing back in Japan, and Naruto was going to proudly follow such customs regardless of where he was.

As Naruto reached the academy without any mobs or thrown objects, he found the Hokage waiting for him. The old man gave his typical warm smile to Naruto. "Good, you're here right on time Naruto-kun," the old Hokage said. "And I see you've chosen to wear something different this time. It's not what a ninja tends to wear, but it will do I suppose. Though I do wish you would start wearing the traditional ninja cloths. Oh well, come with me, and I'll show you to your proper classroom.

And so, the Sandaime and Naruto walked through the academy together until they reached the door the Hokage was looking for. After the old man knocked, an academy instructor, who was a Chuunin, with a scar on his nose opened the door and bowed before the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, what a pleasant surprise. What may I do for you?"

The old man smiled. "Hello Iruka, I'm just showing Naruto-kun here to the class he'll be graduating with," he said. "I personally administered his Genin test and the boy easily passed. I know he hasn't even attended the academy, but he had already trained under someone very powerful. I assume you know who I'm speaking of Iruka?"

The Sandaime than stepped aside and allowed the Chuunin to look at the boy who was being talked about. Instantly, Iruka's eyes filled with rage at the sight of Naruto. Oh, he knew who this was all right. Those whisker marks were a dead giveaway. No one else had those marks along with blond hair and blue eyes. Iruka continued to glare at Naruto with as much hate as he could muster, before the Hokage cleared his throat to gain Iruka's attention.

"Yes, the Battousai's apprentice. He,umm, somehow learned enough ninja techniques to graduate the academy and be given the rank of Genin. Don't ask me how he learned, I can talk to you about that later."

Iruka went pale. "B-but Hokage-sama! Really, allowing the student of a mass murderer to interact with mere children, that's absurd! Please be reasonable Hokage-sama! Someone of his caliber should be placed in the ANBU or hunter-nin division. But placing him on a damn Genin team is outrageous!"

"That's enough Iruka," the Hokage calmly answered. "By placing him on a Genin team, he'll be around children his own age," he said. "It actually would have been a worse decision to give Naruto a high rank like ANBU. Look at what happened to Itachi when he moved up the ranks so quickly."

Iruka blanched at that thought as the Hokage continued. "Now, I'm not saying that anyone who achieves a high rank at such a young age will just snap and go psycho. But I suspect there is a possibility. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but it's better that I don't take any chances. Especially after the ordeal Naruto had been through at Japan with the revolution and all."

Sarutobi lit up his pipe and began smoking it. "And besides, Naruto will become more accustomed to working in a team with ninjas instead of samurai if he's assigned to a Genin team," he said. "Overall, I believe Naruto will learn how to be a child again and not grow up too fast. He needs to drift away from his ways as a samurai and fit in with Konoha's culture. He needs to be normal, instead of a foreigner."

But Iruka continued to argue. "Hokage-sama, I'm sure that thing will never be normal, nor will a monster like him ever fit into Konoha! It's a waste of time and…"

The Sandaime interrupted the academy teacher before he could continue. "I said that's enough Iruka, let's talk about this outside. Naruto, how about you go into the classroom and wait for us. Just stand by the teacher's desk. There's something important I need to discuss with Iruka."

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders, not really caring, as he went into the classroom. Iruka tried to protest, but as soon as Naruto entered the classroom, the Hokage had slammed the door closed and turned a fierce glare towards Iruka.

The school teacher just gulped in fear.

_Meanwhile in the classroom_

Everyone in the classroom had heard some of the conversation between the Hokage and Iruka, and wondered what in the world was going on.

Though they didn't know that Naruto was the Battousai's apprentice…yet.

What was so important with this Naruto kid who was going to be graduating with them? Was he really so strong that he should be in the ANBU or hunter-nin division? Is the only reason he's being assigned to a Genin rank really because the Hokage believed it would be better for him being around those his own age? There were many questions running through the minds of the newly graduated students before the target of their thoughts silently walked into the classroom.

Instantly the classroom went quiet.

One boy with a dog on his head broke the silence as Naruto sat down on Iruka's desk and waited.

"Hey you! Is your name Naruto?"

The samurai in question just reached into his haori, making all the students tense, before everyone formed a sweatdrop as Naruto pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Slowly, Naruto took a cigarette, and lit it up before taking a slow drag from it and releasing a long stream of smoke. Meanwhile, the dog boy was impatiently tapping his foot on the ground.

"Hey! Are you going to answer me or keep smoking that stupid stick of yours?" the dog boy demanded.

Naruto slowly took another drag of his cigarette before answering, as smoke came out of his mouth and flown around him. "Yes, my name is Naruto."

The blond than went back to smoking his cigarette.

By this point, all of the girls were staring in lust at Naruto. Sakura, an ever-devoted Sasuke fangirl, couldn't help but think one word when she saw Naruto.

'_Beautiful.'_

A Hyuuga female, by the name of Hinata, was having the same thoughts as she stared dreamily at the blond kid. None of the girls could help it, and a blond girl, who was named Ino, was already starting to form drool on her desk. His silky and long blond hair tied in a ponytail waved with stunning grace as he moved his head back and forth, with a bang of hair falling on both sides of his face. A few stands of hair also fell in front of his face. His intense and crystal blue eyes seemed as if they could see into your soul. His voice was almost as quiet as a whisper, and calm as a gentle breeze. His face had almost no baby fat on it, making it close to being chiseled to perfection.

But what was most noticeable about this blond boy was the sad expression on his face that he'd tend to carry.

It wasn't as if Naruto was concerned about his looks though. He didn't ever even comb his hair anymore. He was living proof that some people are just naturally beautiful. But that only made him hotter to the girls in the classroom. Of course, had he cut his hair, it would have been spiky all over. But he had discovered that after letting it grow long, it had become mostly smooth and silky.

A stupid looking pink-haired girl, named Sakura, was only able to realize a few of those traits that Naruto had before she snapped out of her perverted thoughts. Afterwards, she mentally reprimanded herself for daring to look that way towards another boy besides Uchiha Sasuke. She almost committed blasphemy against her own religion of Sasuke worshipping. Instantly, Sakura hated the hot guy. Only Sasuke was allowed to make her think such thoughts, and this…this nobody came in here out of nowhere and dared to rock her world and shake her faith. How dare he? '

As Sakura was glaring at Naruto in rage, she only found herself to hate him even more when she began to compare his silky hair to hers. She wasn't too pleased with the result.

'_What the hell? That guy has better hair than I do! What's his secret?'_ Sakura thought. '_I've tried everything with my hair to get it as beautiful as his. He's not even a girl! Yet, he still looks good with his hair like that! It's not fair! It's just not fair! I want hair like that! Curse him! I will find a way to get my hair as beautiful as his somehow! You just wait blondie!_'

Sakura sneered at the blond as she felt jealousy swept up inside her at his beauty.

"Hey you!" Sakura screeched.

Naruto turned his attention to the pink-haired girl that was standing out of her desk and pointing at him in rage.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you blondie! Tell me the secret with your hair!" Sakura demanded. "How did you get it like that! Was it a special shampoo or what!"

All of the girls in the classroom leaned in on their desks as they awaited Naruto's answer. Now that Sakura brought up the question, the girls couldn't help but feel a little jealous at Naruto when they compared their hair to his. Though, that didn't stop them from looking at him with desire.

Naruto looked up in thought for a second, before he turned his attention back to the banshee who had questioned him.

"Actually, I'm not sure myself. All I did was allow my hair to grow out," Naruto answered. "Where I come from, we don't have any of this shampoo you speak of. Though, I have become interested in trying it ever since I've heard of the cleaning liquid. I've always had to rely on just using water to rinse my hair."

Yes, Naruto really had been to the library plenty of times to study Konoha's culture. As silly as it sounds, shampoo was one of the aspects of said culture.

All of the girls stared at Naruto in disbelief and disappointment, before Sakura spoke up once again.

"But…how is that possible? It's not fair! I've tried everything with my hair and I never could get it to look that good as yours! It's just not fair! You shouldn't be able to achieve such perfect hair without doing any work on it! All you did was let it grow out, that's all!"

All of the girls nodded in agreement with a gloom look on their faces. They really wanted to learn how to get their hair that perfect, yet it seemed only certain people could do it.

Sakura just continued her rant. "You're just lying aren't you? That's what it is! You selfish bastard! You don't want to share your secrets to such perfect hair, is that it? You want to be the only one with such hair so you can flaunt it around and make us look like hags! So, you can feel like you're better than anyone else! Well, guess what, at least my hair has something yours doesn't have loser! My hair is pink, what do you think about that? Huh? Guess you're real jealous now aren't you? No one else here has a unique color for his or her hair like I do! So take that, hahahah!"

By now, Sakura had an insane gleam in her eye as she laughed manically. The girl was standing on her seat and waving her rear at Naruto in a poor attempt to taunt him.

"I bet you're impressed now aren't ya you…you blond baka!"

No one in the classroom was impressed with Sakura's display. Instead, they all were thinking she finally snapped. Ino herself was even feeling sorry for Sakura. A lot of the students began to think she was so into her looks that she was going into deep denial when she compared herself to Naruto. The poor girl.

Ino shook her head in pity at Sakura, before she sighed with longing as she stared dreamily at Naruto. "Whatever forehead girl, you can have Sasuke," she said. "That hot beauty is going to be mine. Blonds stick together better after all."

Sakura instantly ceased making a fool of herself as she sat down back in her desk and glared at Ino. "So what? Are you saying that baka is better than Sasuke-kun? No one can compare to the power of an Uchiha Ino-pig! So go ahead and have that nobody. See if I care! That still doesn't make us friends Ino. I'm already pretty and popular enough, so I don't even need you! Sasuke-kun is everything to me. Obviously, if you were able to fall for some stupid blond because of his soft and smooth hair, angelic voice, the most beautiful blue eyes to ever be seen, delicious lips…uhh"

Ino tried to ignore the hurt she felt from being rejected Sakura's friendship by plastering a smug smirk on her face. "See what I mean forehead girl," she whispered.

Sakura went into a short trance as she also stared dreamily at the blond samurai before she shook her thoughts away. "I mean, that's not the point! I was just guessing at what you were thinking of him! It wasn't as if I see him in that way or anything," she denied. "He's just some random baka, that's all! Go ahead and have him Ino! But don't think that makes us friends or anything. I still don't need you anymore. Sasuke will always be better than that loser!"

Ino frowned as she was hurt by the other girl's words. She really expected Sakura and her to become friends again after admitting that she was now going after Naruto. She had thought that Sakura only acted different towards her because of their crush on the Uchiha. But it turns out that Sakura changed very much from the shy, cute, and kind little girl that she was years ago. Now Ino was sure Sakura had changed for the worst. The girl was just a bitch and would likely abandon her friends at the drop of a hat. Ino realized that little girl she met years ago was dead now, only to be replaced by a heartless and selfish backstabber.

It was Sakura who broke their friendship over the Uchiha, even after Ino begged for them to remain as friends. Now it was Ino who would walk away…

Ino continued to glare at Sakura as tears were filling her eyes. "Fine, I don't need a backstabber as a best friend!" she hissed in anger. "I guess I really don't know you anymore, Suckura! You're just another stranger to me now. Go and be with your damn Uchiha. I don't care anymore. But just remember, that if it weren't for me, you would still be the same shy little girl I met years ago. The same girl that I stood up for against all those bullies that picked on you! But maybe I should have just left you as you were. You certainly were a better person back then way more than you are now!"

Ino stormed off to go sit at another desk on the far opposite side of the room. After she found one, blond girl just sat down and sulked.

'_Good riddance…wait, did that pig just call me Suckura?"_ Sakura thought._ 'Oh hell no. Well, Sasuke now, revenge later._' And so she went back to her normal habit of staring at Sasuke with a blush on her face.

Speaking of said Uchiha, he was glaring at the blond as well. '_Sakura is right…for once. It's not fair! I'm the last loyal Uchiha, yet I have this terrible hair! I mean it looks like a duck's butt! Damn that blond, he was able to achieve perfect hair like my brother! I was supposed to be the one that got cool hair like that, not some nobody! It's just not right damnit! Itachi always flaunted his awesome hair in front of me.'_

The Uchiha glared even harder at Naruto._ 'And now, I'm only to be reminded of it again when that damn blond does the same thing! Just like Itachi, he never had to even use any shampoo for it! It just came naturally. I've always used Herbal Essence and hair conditioners, but I could never get my hair to look that cool! Why me?"_

Pretty soon, the boys in the class were hiding under their desks as the girls started fighting each other over who was hotter regarding Naruto and Sasuke. As books and pencils were being thrown everywhere, Iruka finally slammed the door open in rage and did his big head jutsu.

"QUIET!"

The class instantly went silent once again as Iruka pulled his hair in frustration. Taking a deep breath, the Chuunin walked over to his desk and sat down. No one still said a word about the blond lazily sitting on the teacher's desk. As for Iruka, he had a lot more to worry about. To sum it all up, the Hokage had basically gave the Chunin the same speech he gave Kakashi regarding his true intentions. Needless to say, by the end of their discussion, Iruka was a nervous wreck. But reluctantly, he gave into the Hokage's request.

Iruka didn't want to, but he couldn't help but be tempted by the advantages the Sandaime's plans had concerning the young samurai. Well, besides from that, he was the Hokage after all, so Iruka had to follow the old man's orders. Still, it wasn't as if he was going to enjoy it.

As soon as Iruka was sure everyone had shut their traps, he addressed Naruto. "Excuse me young man, but could you get off my desk and introduce yourself to the class?"

Naruto nodded his head before standing up. "My name is Naruto and I have been deemed efficient enough to graduate with this class to become a ninja," he said. "That's all any of you need to know."

Everyone sweat dropped at Naruto's poor attempt at introducing himself.

Iruka let out a frustrated sigh as he felt a headache coming on.

This was going to be a long day.

"Naruto, do you wish to share anything else about you that perhaps my students should know?"

Naruto shook his head.

Iruka let out another sigh. "Fine, but I'll finish your introduction for you," he said. Class, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He had just moved here from Japan, but he was born here in the Leaf. Naruto lived in this village for the first four years of his life before he was taken away to Japan. I can see you are catching on to who he is Shikamaru."

The lazy boy certainly was aware of who the blond was now as he went pale in fear. _'Oh no, it can't be…How could the Hokage allow it?_'

"Students, it was a Japanese samurai named Himara Kenshin, who kidnapped Naruto here and took him to that country. This boy is an actual Japanese samurai at the age of only twelve. He fought in the Japanese revolution that had recently ended. I'm sure you all heard about it. So as you can guess, he is already experienced in battle…and has already killed."

At this notion, everyone was shocked that an actual Japanese samurai was attending their academy. Even Sasuke went wide-eyed.

"Everyone, this is the Battousai's apprentice that I'm sure everyone has heard about by now."

By now the whole class was nervous. A lot of them were even afraid. Oh yes, they heard about the Battousai and his student. They learned about them in their history lessons in the academy. The Battousai's skills were known of all over Konoha and the rest of the world. However, not much information was given about his apprentice in their lessons, except for the fact that he was considered dangerous enough to be at Kage level and had killed a good number of Konoha's Chuunins, Jounins, and ANBU.

Only the ninja villages that had sided with the Bakufu forces in Japan and lost ninja to the Battousai's apprentice gave more information about him in their ninja academy's history lessons than than the fact that he just existed.

But back to the present, Iruka's class were even more shocked that the Battousai's student was so young, not to mention born right here in their very village of all places!

But the children really had no idea that the Battousai's apprentice was currently even in their village to begin with!

Than again, the children's parents never really bothered to tell them of the troubling news. They all felt that it would be better if they didn't know of the Battousai's apprentice mere presence in their village. After all, since Naruto was so skilled and trained by the Battousai for most of his life, they assumed the 'demon brat' would be listed into the village's ANBU or such other advanced ninja divisions. So, they never really thought of bothering to tell their children of the Battousai's apprentice being in the Leaf. Another reason they didn't mention it was because they didn't want their kids to feel worried and fearful as much as they were. Basically not wanting to start a huge panic. However, they still found it necessary to make sure to inform their children of a kid named, Uzumaki Naruto, who they should stay away from.

Naruto did seem familiar to a lot of the students in the class that had ignored and been mean to him when they were all younger. Their interaction with the demon container was so long ago though. Well, that and a lot of Konoha's children were so arrogant that they tended to forget anyone they met whom they deemed very below them.

Still, it was pathetic that they failed to identify him as Naruto so easily despite the fact that their parents gave them a description of the kid they should stay away from. Naruto should still be recognizable by his whisker marks and unique blue eyes. Nobody in the village has those kind of features.

However, there were at least a few brighter students who were able to identify Naruto according to the information given by their parents, who warned them to stay away from a kid named 'Uzumaki Naruto.' But, as mentioned, it was indeed very few. Honestly, and these people are supposed to be ninjas?

Shikamaru, Hinate, and Shino were those few students. Only three people in the entire class.

Sad.

Iruka paused for his revelation to sink in before he continued. "I assume that you all are aware of the Battousai's student being in this village?"

A lot of the students just shook their heads in the negative. They knew nothing about this at all.

Iruka frowned in confusion. He surly thought that every parent in the Leaf would inform their children of Naruto being in the village and being the Battousai's apprentice. Especially since he held the Kyuubi inside him.

To Iruka, it didn't make any sense.

"That's odd, I was for sure that you all wouldn't be in the dark this much."

"My parents didn't tell me anything Iruka-sensei!" Sakura yelled. "But they sure have a lot to answer for when I get home." She crossed her arms and glared at her desk. She felt betrayed that her parents didn't trust her to know such important news! Still, she refused to be scared of Naruto. The pink-haired girl firmly believed Sasuke would protect her from any harm, so she could treat the blond anyway she wished.

Iruka cleared his throat. "Yes, well, there's no need for any of you to be afraid. Everyone in Konoha, except for a lot of you apparently, had known for days that Naruto was in this village. The Hokage approved of him being a Leaf ninja after having him take the graduation test, and…I approve of him being one as well. So none of you need to worry. As for why none of you were informed at least of the Battousai's apprentice being here, I have no idea."

Iruka stood out of his seat and walked to the front of his desk. "What I do know is this. Yes, normally you would think that someone of the de-, I mean Naruto's power should immediately be given the rank of Jounin. Maybe even be placed in the ANBU program or become a hunter-nin. However, due to past history of assigning someone as young as him to such a high rank, as well as what's best for Naruto, he'll start out as a Genin just like all of you are. The Hokage and I agreed that…"

But Sakura rudely interrupted Iruka before he could finish as she stood up. "But Iruka-sensei!" she screeched. "It's still not fair that he gets to graduate with our class when the rest of us had to attend the academy for all these years. You're just playing favorites because of whom he was trained by! It should have been Sasuke-kun that got to graduate without going to this stupid school! My Sasuke-kun is an Uchiha. It doesn't matter who trained that dumb jerk! He's still nothing compared to Sasuke-kun! I demand you make him go through the academy first! He shouldn't get a chance to skip ahead!"

Iruka was stressed to the max today. It was bad enough that the damn 'Kyuubi kid' was in Konoha. And trained by that monster who killed a lot of Leaf's ninja. And if that wasn't enough for him to worry about, the kid ended up being assigned to a Genin team. And to put the icing on the cake, the damn brat was to graduate with the class he was teaching. Sure, the Hokage's plan sounded great right now, but Iruka was still uncomfortable with the risks involving the blond boy. And his best friend Mizuki wasn't there to help him deal with the class today. He just simply disappeared!

So, after Sakura's little outburst, the poor Chuunin teacher just snapped.

"SAKURA, SHUT THE HELL UP! Don't you EVER interrupt me again! I had already mentioned circumstances surrounding Naruto for why he doesn't need to go through the academy. Despite being trained as a samurai, Naruto had also gained enough ninja skills to pass the graduating test since he gained knowledge from ninjas that belonged to different villages. SO YES! I believe he is more than ready to become a Genin. And you're a DAMN HYPOCRIT for DARING to accuse me of playing favorites when you suggested that Sasuke should have graduated without going through the academy instead!" Iruka yelled.

The academy instructor than gave a fierce glare towards Sakura. "I really don't care about any comparison between Sasuke and Naruto, as long as they do their damn job as ninja!" he yelled. "It's not even any of your business you stupid girl! I'm tired of listening to your crap everyday! So SIT DOWN, SHUT YOUR LOUD MOUTH, AND LISTEN!"

It seems there were a lot of times today that the class would go completely silent. This was one of those times. Their academy teacher had never become that angry. He was usually calm, only to yell at his class sometimes. But those few times that he yelled at his class never been even near as intense as his anger had been towards Sakura.

Speaking of Sakura, she had quickly sat down and looked down in embarrassment. There were very few times she had been in trouble before.

Iruka was breathing heavily as his face was red in anger. Kami that felt so good to let out. He had longed for years to put Sakura in her place. After leveling Sakura with one more glare, he went back to addressing the class, "As I was saying, before being rudely interrupted, the Hokage and I agreed that Naruto needs to work with fellow ninjas that are his own age. It would be a big change for him, considering that he grew up so quickly to survive like he did in Japan's revolution. As the Hokage mentioned, he really didn't have a childhood so far like all of you had."

Iruka went silent for a few seconds to allow the class to digest the information. "Naruto will be the deadlast of the class instead of Kiba," he said.

Kiba cheered.

"However, keep in mind that Naruto is only given that status since he never attended the academy. He had spenting most of his life training under the Battousai and fighting in Japan's recent revolution. There's no telling how far Naruto would come if he had gone to the academy with all of you."

Iruka turned to the blond. "Naruto, is there anything else you wish to share with the class?" he asked. "Anything any of us should know?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, everyone knows enough about…"

But Iruka interrupted him as he noticed something. "I'm sorry to interrupt Naruto, but I just noticed that you're carrying your sword with you," he said. "Since this is the last day of the academy for this class, everyone in here is still considered as a student until they're picked up by their Jounin sensei. So, being that you're a part of this class, I'm afraid you're not allowed to bring your sword with you into the academy. Students aren't allowed to bring any such weapons into the classroom except for the basic ninja weapons, like kunai and shuriken."

Naruto was about to respond, before Sakura snidely made a remark to Iruka. "But Iruka-sensei, I thought you already said that you didn't like being interrupted?" Sakura questioned. "Yet here you are, doing the same thing to the dead last. I suppose you're the hypocrite now aren't you Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka soon looked like a tomato. One could almost even swear steam was coming out of his ears. Slowly, ever so slowly, Iruka turned to look at Sakura with the scariest look she had ever seen on the man.

Most of the students in the class began backing into their seats as far as they could. Iruka really looked terrifying at that moment. The man was even releasing a sufficient amount of killer intent, freezing a lot of people in place.

Sakura just gulped. She never could know when to keep that mouth of hers shut.

Sakura grew even more scared as Iruka spoke in a quiet and cold voice. "That's it Sakura," he said. "I've had it with your backtalk, your loud mouth, your ear piercing screeches, and all your talk of some boy!"

Iruka pointed at the stoic Uchiha while said raven-haired boy hoped he didn't get stuck in the middle of this.

All of a sudden, Iruka slammed his hand on his desk and shouted at Sakura.

"GET OUT!"

"Wha-what do you mean get…get out?" Sakura stuttered.

"I meant exactly what I said Sakura!" Iruka yelled. "Since you're being such a big problem today, you'll be standing outside the front of the academy. I just can't stand your annoyance any longer. I'll have a Chuunin watch over you while you're waiting to know what Genin team you'll be assigned to, as well as who your Jounin instructor will be. Now go!"

A Chuunin that was standing at the back of the room walked over beside Sakura.

"B-but sensei?"

"I said GET OUT!"

Sakura began crying in embarrassment, before she filled up with anger and glared at Iruka though her watered eyes as her lips trembled.

All Iruka did was glare right back at her.

All of a sudden, Sakura snarled at Iruka. "You won't get away with this! My parents are very important in this village, and so am I! Some lowly Chuunin like you will pay for crossing me! I won't ever forget this!"

Sakura stomped through the classroom and opened the door before stepping through it as she slammed it shut as loud as she could.

The Chuunin that was standing besides Sakura awhile ago quickly followed her.

Iruka just glared in the direction she went. He shook his head and muttered under his breath.

"Bitch."

Iruka brought his attention back to his situation with Naruto. '_Thank Kami that the majority of the Haruno family was killed in the Kyuubi attack," Iruka thought. 'Now there's only that little spoiled brat and her bitch of a mother left of that family. Dealing with one Haruno is enough, but I hate to even think of ever having to deal with all the other children from that family._'

Iruka shivared at such a dreadful thought, '_Yes, I can't help but be thankful to the Kyuubi for saving me a lot of headaches and mental disorders from having to deal with more than one Haruno in my class. I seriously think I wouldn't be able to stand it. I know that it was the demon that killed my parents, and I know they would be angry with me for hating anyone more than that demon brat, but I can't help it when it comes to Sakura! At least the Kyuubi boy is a lot quieter. He's someone most people can probably stand to be around. That's not a hard to achieve as long as that boy continues to keep himself quiet and be listening, as he seems to tend to.'_

Iruka's eyes narrowed in thought._ 'The Hokage did say that was how the Kyuubi kid was like. But then again, he probably can't be some most people can stand being around here since almost everyone knows what a demon he truly is. Sure, at first it's not easy for me to even be in that kid's presence, since he's actually the Kyuubi who killed my parents. But he's so quiet, that after awhile, I almost forget he's even there. However, with that pink-haired bimbo, she's in your face 24/7 with her talking back attitude and annoying personality. Then there's the fact that she's spoiled and always looking at almost everyone as if they're beneath her. _

Iruka looked as Sasuke._ 'And don't get me started on her fangirlish ways over the Uchiha. Yes, I would definitely choose to be around Naruto for a whole day rather than spending the same amount of time with that screeching banshee._'

Iruka sighed in acceptance as he continued his train of thought. '_I can't help but wish to thank that filthy demon for wiping out mostly everyone in the Haruno family. I'll just do that by treating him nicely and allowing that demon to keep his sword with him for today. Heh, I'd still have to be nice to that demon though because of the Hokage's orders, but I'm more willing to do it now._'

"Naruto, since this will be the last day for our class as being students, you can carry that sword with you around the academy for today," Iruka said. "Once you become a Leaf ninja, you won't have to worry about that kind of problem anymore whenever you need to step into the academy, ok?"

The young samurai shrugged.

"Now, Naruto, why don't you go choose a seat to sit in so I can continue where I left off before you and Hokage-sama came in here?" Iruka asked.

The blond nodded his head in affirmative and found a seat to sit in close to the windows and way back in the class.

After Naruto sat down, Iruka turned his attention back to the class. "Now that all is said and done, I'll start assigning you all to Genin teams along with your specified Jounin instructors. The speech I was giving before Naruto and Hokage-sama arrived will have to be cut short because of our discussion on these recent developments with our new student here," he said. "I hope you all can forgive me for moving on so quickly."

The class roared in cheers, as they were relieved to get past Iruka's boring farewell speech and down to more important business. A lot of the newly turned Naruto fangirls were cheering for Naruto since they saw him as their savior from Iruka's 'evil boring speeches.'

As for Naruto himself, well he was just surprised at how loud ninja were compared to the samurai back at his homeland. It was ironic really. Usually it was supposed to be ninja that were the quiet type while samurai would do all the yelling and screaming. However, all of that was a misconception to begin with. Ninja only thought of samurai that way at first because of how used they were to dealing with samurai in the Elemental Countries. Misconceptions indeed.

_+End of Naruto's Dream (Flashback)+_


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Notes: Hey everyone. I'm in summer school right now at my college. So, I am going to be very busy most of the time. As a result, I'm not going to be able to update as often as I would like. There may be long periods of time before I update. I may not even be able to update this entire summer. But I will strive to continue this story. No need to worry about that. I just want you readers to be aware of what's going on, since I likely won't be able to update this story for awhile because of all the school work.

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**_Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 5_**

Naruto woke up from his dream to the sound of a window breaking in his apartment. He knew there was only one window, which was in the living room by the front door.

So, he had quickly ran into the area where his window was, only to swiftly dodge a load of shuriken that ended up being lodged into a wall. Naruto was so fast though that it almost seemed as if he just suddenly appeared standing on the couch with his sword already out of its sheath and gripped firmly.

Just like his sensei, Naruto even took his sword to bed with him.

The intruder stood beside his broken window, wearing a Chuunin vest and a mess of gray hair. Though it wasn't as messy as the gray hair of the Jounin guard he met on his first day of arrival to the Leaf. The guy was displaying an arrogant smirk while his eyes gleamed with murderous madness.

Naruto and the intruder stared at each other for a minute, before the blond samurai spoke. "Why did you break into my apartment?"

It was a simple question, and one that the Chunin was more than happy to answer. "So, it is true. You are in this village, aren't you demon brat? The security is so lax here that I was able to steal the Scroll of Forbidden Seals," he said. "Then again, that's not a big surprise considering that this village would let a demon come back here. But it certainly will not be a surprise when you're blamed for stealing it. After I kill you of course."

The Chuunin chuckled in a somewhat psychotic way, but stopped when Naruto showed no reaction to his threat whatsoever.

"How did you find my apartment?" asked Naruto, but secretly he had an idea.

"Well Kyuubi brat, the only secret the Hokage was able to keep was your location, until now of course. The old man is so senile that he actually stored a copy of all of Konoha's citizen and ninja records in the same room that contained the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. I only came across those records after I became curious about what else I could find. It was just sheer accident. Heh, so I guess it ain't the old man's fault this time, huh demon brat? But then again, perhaps it is if he was stupid enough to leave sensitive records like that in the same room with the Forbidden Scroll. This time your luck is going to run out demon."

Naruto's hair ominously danced with the wind coming from the broken window, giving the intruder a clearer view of his intense blue eyes and sad expression. The moonlight shined down on his entire being.

At that moment, as if captured in a painting, Naruto looked like an angel of darkness.

The Chuunin shivered a little bit at Naruto's appearance. The blond swordsman was just creepy.

However, the Chuunin gathered his resolve and spoke. "You think your pathetic samurai skills will stand a chance against a real ninja little boy? I know all of the stories concerning you and your master. Nothing but a bunch of superstitions. Horror stories told at night to keep people entertained. I've seen actual samurai, and I seriously doubt that there's any difference between them here and those at Japan.

The Chuunin smirked arrogantly. "It makes no sense, what good can a puny katana do against the massive arsenal of a trained ninja, huh kid? Nothing, that's what. In the end you're all just a bunch of punks acting as cheap versions of real ninjas like myself," the Chuunin said.

Naruto titled his head. "Odd. There was an ANBU captain who had similar thoughts such as yours regarding samurai. He held onto such beliefs before he became nothing more than a torso with a head and one leg. A sample of the Bakumatsu era. There are only a few ninjas like you and him who are still stuck on the belief that every samurai is inferior. Despite all of the evidence of a Japanese samurai's power, ninjas like you continue to ignore such a threat in favor of keeping your ego up high."

Naruto sighed. "In result, you avoid reality and live in a fantasy world where ninjas are supposed to be a type of warrior that are rivaled or surpassed by none," he said. "It's basically going into denial. Even now, you choose too much of your pride over your survival. Truly the epitome of arrogance that many ninja developed over the years."

The intruder just growled. "You're just a kid brat. That's all you really are in the end. A kid playing a man's game. A demon kid, yeah, but still just a kid. You're the one only living in a fantasy world if you really think you can take me on. But if you truly believe that a samurai can even come close to being on equal grounds with a ninja, then we'll test that out right now."

The Chuunin gave one last arrogant smirk. "My name is Mizuki demon," he said. "Remember that name in hell after I rip you apart."

Mizuki proceeded to pull out a giant shuriken out behind his back, and prepared to throw it at Naruto, before the blond spoke. "And like the apparent majority of everyone in this village, you believe the Kyuubi and I are the same being," he said. For all of the perspective thinking ninjas are supposed to have, it seems the Leaf village lacks in that department more than anything else."

Mizuki paused in his preparation to throw the giant shuriken as he stared at Naruto in surprise. "You know of the Kyuubi?"

All Naruto did was nod his head before Mizuki busted out laughing. "Yeah, you'd have to be real dumb to be unable to figure it out. I mean, with people calling you Kyuubi brat and all. That just makes it better demon!" he exclaimed. "Now you'll die with the knowledge that you're the fox demon who caused so much destruction to the Leaf years ago."

Mizuki started crying, but the psychotic smile was still plastered on his face. "Demon, die knowing that you were killed by a ninja who was one of many that lost his family and comrades to you," he said. "That in the end, you're nothing more but an inferior beast beneath the feet of a ninja, just like samurai are meant to be!"

Mizuki threw his giant shuriken towards Naruto.

"DIE DEMON BRAT!"

The crazed Chunin charged in madly at Naruto, ready to finish him off in case the weapon he had thrown either only damaged the blond or missed him entirely.

Naruto saw Mizuki charging at him behind the thrown weapon that was coming closer. Instantly, a plan formed in the young samurai's mind to deal with this intruder.

The giant shuriken went straight through Naruto's neck, killing him instantly as his body and head separately fell to the floor.

Because of the Chuunin being so close behind the thrown weapon, Naruto's blood splattered all over him.

Mizuki ceased his charge in surprise at how quick the supposed apprentice of the Battousai was defeated. Sure, he didn't expect Naruto to defeat him once he confronted Naruto directly, but he at least expected the kid to be fast enough to dodge a thrown projectile.

The Chuunin shrugged his shoulders, believing that the only mistake he made was thinking that Japanese samurai were stronger than he had just seen, before laughing in glee at his kill. Now he would be famous for doing what even the Yondaime could not do.

Kill the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Pretty soon, Mizuki started to laugh widely as a expression of madness overcame his face. He knew that even if he got caught as the true culprit who stole the Forbidden Scroll, there would be no punishment awaiting him after proving he had slain the demon all on his own. Sure, the foolish old prune of a Hokage would try to punish the Chuunin as much as he could. The Sandaime had become so senile as to care greatly for such filth after all. But Mizuki knew that the council and practically everyone else in the village hates that dead demon.

That means that the whole village, including the council, would be on Mizuki's side. More than enough people to overturn any punishment or retaliation the Hokage would attempt to give him.

After a moment, Mizuki thought about staying just to satisfy his curiosity of what would happen after being revealed as the Kyuubi's killer. He'd be worshiped as a hero.

After a minute of thinking, Mizuki chose to stick with his decision of leaving Konoha and joining up with Orochimaru. Even though the idea of fame and wealth appealed to him, he was more interested in gaining power more than anything. And to him, the only place where he could gain the most power was at Otogakure. It was power that he completely believed would be given to him by Orochimaru, who was one of Konoha's Sannin, before he turned traitor against his village.

Mizuki smiled evily at his decision and began to turn away from the beheaded body in front of him to pick up the big scroll he dropped, before he felt a warm sensation all over his body.

The Chuunin narrowed his eyes in confusion. He didn't know what was causing such a feeling, until he looked at his own body and gasped in surprise.

The blood all over him was now literally boiling. Steam was coming off of the red liquid in waves. By now, the warm sensation he felt only a few seconds ago was slowly starting to burn. Mizuki grinded his teeth in pain.

"WHAT IS THIS?"

Mizuki began to panic even more when he saw the 'dead demon' look as if it was melting into a pool of blood.

A soft voice from the shadows startled him out of his rising panic.

"It's a blood clone."

Mizuki quickly turned around to face the direction of the voice. "No, it can't be," Mizuki muttered. "I killed him."

And as if to confirm Mizuki's suspicions, Naruto slowly stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. He looked as creepy as ever, but he had his eyes closed for some reason.

"That blood all over you is still my own blood, but years ago I found out that combined with my blood, these sort of clones can be used for something else."

Mizuki just blinked in confusion. "But…it's just blood demon," he said. "I don't understand."

Naruto sighed. "Nor will you or many people understand Mizuki. I don't even understand it yet. But for some reason, that blood all over you is going to burn you alive since it came from my body. Goodbye."

Mizuki's eyes widened in a realization of horror, before the blood on his body suddenly lit up in flames.

Mizuki screamed in great pain as the fire continued to spread all over his body.

The last thing the traitorous Chuunin saw was a pair of frightening amber eyes before he knew no more.

Now the only thing left of Mizuki was a pile of ash.

Naruto gazed at his work of art, before he frowned at a thought that suddenly occurred to him. '_Now I'll have to clean all of this ash up. As for where all the blood once was, there's going to be burn marks instead. This is going to take awhile. Oh well, at least I'll be kept busy. I need something to take my mind off all of these problems anyway.'_

Not once did a sliver of guilt of his most recent kill cross his mind. Instead, Naruto was too busy thinking about cleaning up the resulting mess in his apartment rather than even a single thought of the Chuunin he had slain.

Naruto closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, they were once again their normal blue color. He sighed depressingly, knowing that he got out of control with his bloodline again. He at least always gave his victims a quick death. But this time, his bloodline went so out of control, that he actually ensured that the way Mizuki died was slow and painful.

And once again, the same old and constant depressing feeling sank back into his entire being. One of the best benefits of Naruto's bloodline was that it cleared away the same sorrow, which followed him everywhere. It was a sorrow he carried ever since Tomoe and Kenshin died.

Actually, Naruto's bloodline discarded all of Naruto's emotions except hatred, but not in a way that he couldn't think with a calm mind. Quiet complicated in terms of how it works.

Naruto cleared away his thoughts and went to get a broom and dustpan. When he came back, he started to sweep Mizuki's ashes off the floor and into that very same dustpan he had retrieved awhile ago. Once he was sure the dustpan was full of ash, Naruto would dump all of it in a trashcan. Once Naruto finished sweeping the ashes of a dead man, he proceeded to put away the broom and dustpan where he had found it.

As Naruto was placing his broom back into a closet, he heard someone banging on his door very hard. Naruto frowned at that. He had already received a rude visitor late in the night, and he didn't want another one. He just wanted to sleep!

The blond sighed as he recognized the ki signatures behind his door. Slowly, he opened the door and faced his visitors.

There the Hokage stood, with a few ANBU behind him. The Sandaime was staring intently at Naruto before sighing. "You killed this time, didn't you?"

Naruto responded. "Yes. He was invading my home and intended to kill me. I was startled out of my sleep by his intrusion. I was just following my instinct from then on. If I hadn't been awakened from the attack, I could have had better control over my habit to kill. Forgive me Hokage-sama. I'm trained to follow such an instinct when I'm awakened so abruptly."

The Hokage sighed wearily. "It's ok Naruto. I overlooked a possible situation like this, so I'll let it go. You have done well in controling your habit of killing in self-defense. It seems you just weren't able to think clearly once you were awakened like that. That's why the instinct you were trained to follow was able to control you. Please try to get rid of that...little habit as well Naruto."

Sarutobi sighed again. "I should have not overlooked a possibility such as this. I should have expected you to follow your instinct to kill when being awakened so suddenly, since ninjas who have been in a war also tend to carry such a habit. It shouldn't be any different for samurai who go through the same ordeal as well."

Naruto nodded his head. "So what happens now?" he asked.

The Hokage thought for a moment. "Since it's just a traitor, I don't believe the council will care if you killed him or not. Especially since he was aligned with Orochimaru," he said. "I had suspected that for awhile now concerning Mizuki's loyalty. Orochimaru is one of the most hated enemies of our great village. In fact, the council will be pleased that you killed such a traitorous ninja. You are meant to face against Konoha's enemies after all. The council and I also want you to help the Leaf by going against traitors like Mizuki. Traitors do fall in the category of the Leaf's enemies.

The Hokage lit up his pipe and took a few puffs. "And you shall assist the Leaf village by making ninjas think twice before committing betrayal," he said.

Naruto bowed quickly. "As you wish Hokage-sama."

"However, Naruto-kun, I am disturbed at the slow painful death you gave to Mizuki," Sarutobi said. "That is not the way that Leaf ninjas follow. So, I must ask you to never deliver such a death towards anyone ever again. Even if it is towards an enemy of this village. Quick deaths always, do you understand?"

Naruto nodded his head. "Of course Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime turned to address the ANBU. "Retrieve the scoll that the traitor dropped on the floor and then secure the perimeter to ensure there are no more threats to Naruto," he ordered. "After that, return to your posts."

The ANBU complied and performed their duties as ordered.

The Hokage turned his attention back to Naruto. "How did you know that I was aware of your kill Naruto-kun? You weren't surprised at all."

"I saw the look in your eyes Hokage-sama," Naruto quickly responded. "It was a knowing look. Somehow, you knew that I killed that man. I won't ask how, since I doubt you would share such a secret with me. I deeply felt that you knew of my kill. It was just a strong and intense feeling. Does that answer your question Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage stared at Naruto in puzzlement. "Yes, I suppose so Naruto-kun. You're right though, I do mean to keep that particular secret to myself. Security reasons. I'm sure you understand my boy."

"Of course Hokage-sama," Naruto said.

Inside, the Hokage was relieved that Naruto didn't know about his secret way of spying on everyone. About his crystal ball. However, in reality, Naruto knew very well about the Sandaime's secret. Although Naruto was telling the truth when he mentioned about the knowing look in the Sandaime's eyes, knowledge of the old man's crystal ball was the main reason that Naruto knew the Sandaime was aware of his actions.

But how did Naruto know of that particular secret?

Well, it all goes back to his mother's loud mouth. When she and his uncle were younger, they used to visit Whirlpool for family reunions. Of course, no one in the Uzumaki family was aware of his uncle's occupation at the time, except that he stayed at Japan. Kenshin always refused to answer a lot of questions about his life, much to the frustration and disappointment of fellow Uzumakis.

So basically, Naruto's mother would brag all the time to everyone in her family about everything she knew about Konoha. Even when it concerned the village's weaknesses. Since she was the wife of the Yondaime, she also knew a lot of information pertaining to the Hokage's office. Especially the crystal ball that allowed her husband to spy on the entire village.

So it was only a matter of Kenshin telling Naruto everything that his mother told him about Konoha.

Though, Naruto wouldn't dare reveal to the Hokage about knowing of his crystal ball. If he did that, than the Sandaime would most likely have him watched a lot more closely. It was only because of the Sandaime's arrogance in his source of spying that he didn't have ANBU watching over Naruto all the time, since the old man clearly believed that the crystal ball would alert him to anything that Naruto wasn't supposed to be doing.

If the Hokage thought that Naruto wasn't aware of his spying, than the old man would be more likely to believe that Naruto could be monitored enough without a chance of ever avoiding being seen in that crystal ball of his.

The Hokage cleared his throat. "Well, this has been quiet a night, hasn't it Naruto-kun? I'll go ahead and have the landlord replace this window. I'll pay for it of course, so you won't have to. Now, you better get enough sleep so you'll pass your Genin test tomorrow. And don't worry about what happened here tonight. I'll take care of everything."

The Sandaime turned to leave, but Naruto spoke before the old man could go.

"Hokage-sama, I want to know something," Naruto said. "You mentioned that it was alright for me to kill traitors and enemies of the Leaf."

The Hokage nodded before Naruto continued. "But when that ANBU captain attacked me the other day, why couldn't I kill him then? Since he attacked a fellow Leaf ninja, wouldn't he be considered a traitor as well? And another thing, you mentioned before about me needing to have an actual childhood. Wouldn't encouraging me to kill ruin that whole concept? Furthermore, I remember you mentioning that you didn't want me to ever fight back against anyone that attacks me."

The Hokage began to sweat as he thought of how he was going to answer Naruto's questions. "Umm, well, you see Naruto, I wasn't specific enough back then. I had meant that you shouldn't fight back against anyone that belongs to the Leaf village. I didn't mean that I wanted you to not fight back against anyone in general. I apologize for the confusion."

The Sandaime laughed nervously before Naruto responded.

"But...then wouldn't Mizuki be considered someone who serves the Leaf?" the blond samurai questioned. "And if he's an exception since he was a traitor, than how come that ANBU captain wasn't also an exception Hokage-sama?"

The Sandaime was quick to answer Naruto. "Well, umm, I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I don't have time to answer the rest of your questions," he said. "I need to go. But don't worry, I'll answer them later. Goodnight now!"

And just like that, the Sandaime was gone in a a whirl of wind of leafs.

Naruto sighed, knowing that the Hokage was only avoiding his questions and any potential conflict resulting from the old man's lies. He just shook his head and closed his door.

The blond watched as the landlord began fixing his window. When the guy completed replacing it, he gave a quick glare to Naruto, before leaving.

Naruto sighed once again, something he's been doing a lot lately, before going back to bed.

Naruto did have a Genin test tomorrow. Despite being a lethal samurai at an incredible young age, he needed to make sure that he would have enough energy for tomorrow, since he had a feeling that such a day would be long.


	6. Chapter 6

Authors Notes: Hi everybody. Look, I'm going to be busy for a very long time. That and I also have some big problems in my life that I need to handle. I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed my story so far, but I also want to say that I may not even update this story until next summer. I have been recently diagnosed with Paranoia Schizophrenia, so right now I'm taking some medicine for it. But ever since I've been on this medicine, there's been a major writer's block on my mind. So I really don't know if it's the medicine or if just the regular writer's block that every once in awhile shows up for everyone. I just don't know. But I do apologize for the inconvenience. What I can promise is that I will at some point update this story. I just don't know when. Later days.

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**_Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 6_**

Naruto woke up at 5am in the mourning. No, he didn't have an alarm clock, and this time there wasn't anything to awake him all of a sudden, like what happened to him last night.

Nope, Naruto just developed a mental alarm clock in his head after all these years. He had woken up that early so many times in his life that he just started doing it automatically. Though, it's not such a surprise considering that at first he used to be awakened along with a lot of other samurai by officers and such.

Samurai back at his country did have to rise early in the morning for either their daily training or a fight on the battlefield.

All part of a warrior's life.

There's also the fact that Naruto's former sensei tended to pour a large bucket of cold water on his face every morning he didn't wake up on time. Perhaps that's also a big reason for why Naruto was so used to getting up that early.

Naruto did his usual morning physical exercises, before memories of his dream came back to him. Slowly, he sat down on a chair besides a small table, looking out the window as he went deep in thought.

Now, Naruto's dreams are very important to him. No, his dreams don't give him the ability to see into the future. Indeed, nothing to do with premonitions. What Naruto's dreams allow him to do is be given a third person view of a day in his past. That's right, some of the dreams Naruto has are actually flashbacks of critical events that had happened in his life. And it was just by luck that the dream he had tonight was an actual flashback of his arrival to Konoha.

Strangely enough, not once did Naruto ever have a flashback dream about the deaths of Tomoe and Kenshin.

Than again, Naruto hoped he never would have such a dream about that particular critical event. Flashback dreams are the most detailed kind of dreams that Naruto has, so understandingly the blond was glad that he hadn't had to relive that tragedy in such a way.

The deaths of Kenshin and Tomoe already plague Naruto's memories everyday, but having a detailed dream about it was something the young samurai wasn't sure he could handle.

The most important reason that Naruto's flashback dreams helped him so much was because of how the third person view allowed him to have a view of everywhere. And Naruto was able to choose which view he wanted. So obviously, he was focused on the Hokage and Kakashi after he was escorted by the ANBU to the Sandaime's office. He also focused on the conflict that happened between him and that ANBU captain in the same office as well. It just so happens that this ability of view allows Naruto to not only see what his happening, but also gives him the opportunity to hear what is being said...and thought. This is a very huge advantage for Naruto.

Because of this particular ability Naruto has with his dreams, he is able to know what people say and think behind his back. Naruto always had such an ability. And the dreams it has offered had been a main reason for his long survival. After talking with his sensei about it, Naruto came to find that it was a really rare ability in the Uzumaki family. And that even for those very few who have that ability, there was something that they had to go through to even attain it.

And knowledge of such attainment had been lost many years ago.

Again, sheer chance happened to be on Naruto's side.

However, very rarely does Naruto have such dreams. Sometimes he has them once in a whole year. But just sometimes.

Rare indeed.

And last night just happened to be one of those times.

As Naruto thought of the dream he had last night, the first part of that dream he remembered had to do with how everyone would refer to him as 'Battousai's apprentice,' or 'apprentice of the Battousai.' Again, a sad smile crossed his face.

True, Naruto had mentioned to the Hokage before that he wished to be acknowledged as himself. Respected for actions he had actually done. Besides, Naruto as of now is officially the Battousai. It was Japan's leader who granted him that honor.

So either Konoha and perhaps a lot of other ninja villages are so used to calling him by the title of 'Battousai's apprentice,' that it just stuck, or that news had just never spread over to Konoha about him being the new Battousai. Truthfully though, Naruto felt relieved that people were still referring to him as the Battousai's apprentice. Because if they referred to him as the Battousai himself, than the young samurai would be much more reminded about the death of his beloved sensei.

Reality tends to not let others forget bad experiences sometimes.

And then Naruto thought of something else about his dream. He remembered when he was walking towards the gates of Konoha. He certainly didn't leave Japan all by himself. No, when he was leaving Japan, there was practically an army of ANBU waiting to escort him.

Now, while the number of ANBU there was enough to be an army, they still would have not been in enough numbers to act as an invasion force against Japan. An army of those ANBU there was, but a small army it still is. Even as weak as Japan was, a small army of ANBU would not be enough to take down the mysterious country.

Not when said country still had enough of those deadly samurai left that Leaf ninja seemed to be so nervous about. Especially said samurai that would fight to their deaths for the existence of their country.

However, each ANBU member had only enough money to pay for a ride on a ship to Japan, and than on a ride back.

The other part of the agreement between Konoha and Japan regarding Naruto's transfer was for the blond samurai to pay for his own ride across the seas. If Naruto didn't pay for the ride, than he would be refusing to go to Konoha, which would thus result in Konoha invading Japan because of Naruto's supposed resistance. As part of this deal, Japan couldn't aid Naruto either in terms of paying for his ride. And Konoha knew the Japanese government strictly honored their agreements with other nations. It was a strange request, but Naruto and his country were in no position to deny Konoha of this part of the agreement.

Japan was very lucky that Konoha wasn't demanding anymore than that anyway. However, it was as if the Leaf village made such a deal just to spite Naruto or to purposely cause some kind of war.

In truth, it was most of the members of Konoha's council who pressured the Sandaime into allowing such a part of the agreement to take place. Those particular council members wanted to start a war, so they could expand Konoha's territory and either acquire or kill the 'demon brat' all at the same time. They also believed that by defeating Japan, such a victory would increase the Leaf's village's status in the elemental countries because of the fear other ninja villages have of Japan's samurai. This would be true since many ninja from different ninja villages had all kinds of trouble with those fierce warriors.

Despite the restrictions Konoha placed on him in terms of traveling from Japan to Hi no Kuni, Naruto had made a lot of money as a samurai warrior in Japan's recent revolution, and yet he barely spent any of it, except on cigarettes.

Fighting for the future of your country as the apprentice of a famous killing machine can keep someone from having the time or desire to do anything to treat one's self.

So, Naruto just figured that there was nothing to get upset about paying for a ride that would cause only very little loss to his amount of money. Naruto also later came to believe that members of Konoha's council came up with such a deal just to get him upset so that the Leaf could invade Japan. His belief was indeed correct. And besides, Naruto had bigger things to worry about than expecting someone to pay for a ride that would to him would cost pennies. Though, to other people in Japan, the cost of such a ride over such a long distance would be much higher than pennies. It just depends on the amount of money you have in the long run.

Anyway, there was something special about those particular ANBU who escorted Naruto. For one thing, these ANBU were very quiet. They weren't at all loud and boastful like the typical enemy ninja Naruto had encountered. Secondly, Naruto could tell they were more powerful than other ninjas he fought against by sensing their aura. Naruto believed that such ninja must be typically used for guarding their village if he never encountered such ninja before. And he was right.

Samurai had a way of determining an opponent's power by sensing his or her aura given off by ki. An aura is a field of output energy around a person's whole body that is generated from his or her ki. Ki energy is a different energy source from chakra. Chakra is an energy source ninja depend on, while ki energy is what samurai use. However, samurai have learned from their battles with ninja that the more chakra a person has, the stronger his or her ki energy is, thus the greater the power that is felt from the individual's aura.

Anyway, these ANBU weren't at all hateful as Naruto expected. In fact, they were quiet helpful. The apparent leader of the ANBU escort explained that they were a part of a special ANBU division in Konoha known as ROOT, which was run by some man known as Danzo. They further explained that somehow Danzo was able to trick the Sandaime into sending ROOT ANBU, when actually the Sandaime believed he was sending regular ones. Otherwise, there was no way the Hokage would send in a special ANBU division that was supposed to be disbanded long ago had the old man knew of how Danzo was deceiving him.

Furthermore, the leader explained to Naruto that Danzo wished to meet with him at some point in time, and also that Danzo had ROOT ANBU be sent because he believed they would be more welcoming than any other kind of ANBU that could be sent by the Sandaime due to the blond's tenant, as well as be better escorts for security reasons due to their skills being superior to that of a regular ANBU.

Of course, Naruto estimated that Danzo was really being so friendly because the guy wanted to recruit him into this ROOT ANBU force. Naruto also figured that there was some hostility between this Danzo person and the Hokage since Danzo was going behind the old leader's back. Out of curiosity though, Naruto decided that he would remember to meet with this Danzo person at some point to just see what he has to offer.

After all, Danzo was technically extending a hand of trust to Naruto by revealing that ROOT ANBU were supposed to have been disbanded and his manipulation of the Hokage to have such ANBU be sent to escort the young samurai. So, there was a silent agreement between Naruto and the ROOT ANBU leader that he was to not speak a word to others about what he's been told.

Also, Naruto was curious about meeting Danzo because just like him, the ROOT leader apparently didn't like the current Hokage either.

When Naruto arrived at Hi no Kuni, the ANBU leader had informed him that Konoha wanted him to be escorted the whole way to Konoha, but because of the threat Japan would face if Naruto ran away, he was going to trust Naruto to travel the rest of the way to Konoha. After the blond agreed, the entire ROOT ANBU ran off ahead to their village.

As Naruto thought back to that moment, he found himself to be glad that the ROOT ANBU did leave him, or he wouldn't have ever been able to meet up with his friend, Itachi, like he did.

Back to the present, Naruto again remembered last night when he thought about the crystal ball used by the Hokage to spy on people. He then smirked as he suddenly remembered that Kenshin taught him how to know when he's being watched by the Hokage's crystal ball by sensing the ki energy it generates. That's why Naruto was able to get away with what he did to Sakura yesterday, as well as why he felt safe with the conversation he had with the Uchiha.

Naruto blinked while he cleared his thoughts away and hurriedly got dressed in a pair of the same samurai clothes he wore to school yesterday. After eating some ramen for breakfast, Naruto finished the rest of his morning routine and headed out the door to the training ground 7 where he was to meet his team today for the test his so-called current sensei was going to give them.

_Later on_

Naruto arrived at training ground 7 at 5:45 AM only to find it completely empty. He just shrugged his shoulders and sat down against a tree. He then brought himself into the lotus position. Naruto figured that since he did plenty of physical exercises at his house, he would just decided to meditate and wait for his teammates.

'_It's not like COCK-kashi is going to show up early anyway. And it seems Kenshin-sensei was right when he mentioned about ninjas tending to get up later than samurai do. Ninjas are so lazy sometimes. My teammates are supposed to be actual warriors, yet they can't even get here early like I do,_' Naruto thought has he slowly closed his eyes and began his meditation.

_An Hour and Fifteen Minutes Later_

At 7AM, Sasuke arrived on the scene. As he walked into the training ground, he looked around for any of his teammatesm before spotting Naruto in his meditated position. The Uchiha stared at him in puzzlement for a minute, before jumping into a tree and laying on one of its limbs. Slowly, Sasuke drifted off into sleep. He didn't believe it was best to disturb his blond teammate considering most people are grouchy at morning. And from witnessing Naruto's anger yesterday, Sasuke wasn't going to dare do anything to agitate him.

As for Naruto himself, he just sensed Sasuke's fear and allowed a small smile to grace his face.

And then the morning went on with its peace and tranquility.

One Hour Later

Finally, Sakura showed up on the training ground barely awake. For a short time, she looked around the training ground, before spotting Naruto. That was when she was instantly a lot more awake….and scared. She was still confused and worried over what Naruto did to her yesterday. Last night, she barely got any sleep in the hospital because the event was still fresh to her. The combination of fear and attraction she felt towards the blond was apparently a strain on her mind.

Slowly, she walked over to him and just stood there while staring at him in fascination. She couldn't help but be memorized by how so peaceful and calm he looked in that moment.

Naruto himself was aware of Sakura's presence when she first arrived. However, he soon grew tired of Sakura's gaze on him and slowly opened his eyes to stare back at her. For a minute, Sakura didn't notice Naruto's acknowledgement of her existence until she caught the clear crystal blue of his eyes looking back her. Quickly, she turned her head and blushed in embarrassment for being caught ogling him.

Naruto just narrowed his eyes at her as he noticed the blush she tried to hide. "Is there something you want Sakura?" he asked.

The pink-haired girl desperately tried to think of an excuse to avoid looking stupid before she noticed the absence of her sensei and other teammate, so she decided to inquiry Naruto about it. "Good morning Naruto-sama. S-sorry for disturbing you, but I wanted to ask if you saw Kakashi-sensei or Sasuke-kun this morning," she said in a quiet voice. "It's already 8am and they're both not here yet. I'm not too surprised that Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet, but Sasuke-kun was always on time back at the academy. It's strange for him to be late to something like this."

Naruto just sighed, which seemed to be habit he developed ever since he had arrived at Konoha. "Well Sakura, as I expect like you did, Kakashi-sensei is most likely going to be late like he was yesterday," he said. "As for Sasuke, just look at the branches of that tree," and Naruto pointed his finger towards the tree Sasuke was sleeping in.

Sakura looked towards the tree Sasuke was sleeping in and gave a small smile. The Uchiha looked so calm looking to her when he was asleep.

After staring a Sasuke's sleeping form for a few more seconds, Sakura turned to Naruto. "Umm, Naruto-sama, I apologize for what happened yesterday. But I still t-think you went a little to-too far with what you did to me. So I would like it if you could also a-apologize to me Naruto-sama." Than Sakura began to get a little angry when Naruto started to ignore her. "I had to go the hospital because of what you did to me," she growled. "And you just sit there like…"

"Whatever," Naruto responded. "As long as you know your place and I know mine, there shouldn't be any problems," he said. "Now while you're here, I want you to just be quiet. Sasuke is sleeping and I'm trying to meditate in peace. Just don't be a bother to everyone." And so he went back to his meditation.

As for Sakura, she just huffed and glared in anger at Naruto, before Naruto opened his eyes and glared right back at her. Sakura's heart leapt in her chest and she backed away from Naruto in fear. She then turned around and sat down against the tree Sasuke was sleeping in. For awhile, she stared down at the ground deep in thought, before more memories of what happened to her yesterday began to resurface in her mind. As a result, she tried to burn a hole in Naruto's face with her eyes.

"Keep your glares to yourself Sakura," Naruto responded with his eyes still closed. Sakura just growled and crossed her arms as she began looking at the ground again. She just couldn't grasp what was happening to her. She felt angry with Naruto for dismissing her the way he did after what he did to her yesterday, but at the same time she was feeling attracted to him as much as she felt towards Sasuke.

Sakura sighed in frustration before ogling Sasuke. A way to calm her raging thoughts about Naruto would be flirting and ogling her other infuation that was easier for her to grasp.

Or so she liked to think.

And so, only the birds and the running of the river below the bridge made any sound on training ground 7.


	7. Chapter 7

Authors Note: Well I'm back my fellow readers. *takes a bow*. Yes, I've finally come up with the motivation to continue this story. Plus I am able to better deal with my problems in real life. I did promise that I would continue this story someday didn't I? I would hate to break such a promise. Now, in order for me to write this story further in a correct way, I'm going to need the help of some of my reviewers. You see, I haven't been keeping up with the Naruto manga very well. And there's some stuff that I forgot. It's mostly timelines that I forgot. Some of the main timelines I need to know is how long Team 7 stays in Wave during their first C-rank mission (which turned into an A-rank later on.), how long was it after the bell test before Team 7 got their mission to go to wave, and how long was it until the Chunnin Exam after Team 7 got back from the Wave mission? I would really appreciate it if someone game me an answer to that. There's just all these timelines. It drives me crazy! Arrrghhh! Anyway, I want to make something clear to all my readers. This fanfiction that I'm writing is where the world of Samurai-X and Rouroni Kenshin world collide with the world of Naruto. Therefore, there will be some things exist in the Kenshin world that don't exist in the cannon, and there may be some things in the Naruto world that don't exist in the cannon either. This is because the collision of two worlds can make new things happen. For example, Samurai from Japan in this fic will kinda be able to do with their swords what Ninjas do with jutsus. I know it sounds confusing right now, but you'll see what I'm talking about as you people continue to read my fic. Ok, well I've said all I've wanted to say, so sit back and enjoy! Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't mind if I could have a beta reader. So if anyone wants to volunteer, just message me or leave me a note in your review!

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**_Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 7_**

It was an hour later when Naruto came out of his meditation and looked around the training ground and at his so-called teammates. He noticed that Sasuke wasn't sleeping anymore, but instead leaning against a post with his hands in his pockets, and that Sakura was sitting up against the tree Sasuke used to sleep in. He then realized that he never took much notice of the clothes that Sasuke and Sakura were wearing. But then again, he usually didn't pay too much attention to other kids. Sasuke had white shorts and some sort of blue shirt, while Sakura was wearing some kind of red dress with black spandex shorts.

When Naruto took more notice of Sakura, he suddenly realized that she had bandages in a few places. She was also walking funny and constantly holding her ribs.

'_So, Sakura is still injured by what I did to her. So why isn't she still staying in the hospital? I guess she must really want to pass Kakashi's survival test as soon as possible and not risk any chance of Sasuke failing,'_ thought Naruto, before closing his eyes and going back to his meditation.

It was another hour later when Kakashi showed up on the training ground in a poof of smoke.

"Yo!" said Kakashi.

Sakura and Sasuke glared at Kakashi as hard as they could, while Naruto just slowly opened his eyes and calmly stared at him.

Sakura wanted so badly to yell her lungs out at Kakashi, but she remembered that would displease Naruto, and so wisely kept her mouth shut.

Kakashi looked over the would-be Genin, and then noticed that Sakura had bandages and looked injured.

"Sakura, what happened to you? Are you ok?" asked Kakashi and her gave her a worried look.

"I'm fine Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said. "Sasuke-kun and I were sparing yesterday and we got a little too rough."

Sakura rubbed her shoulder and looked away.

Kakashi nodded his head. "Well, you still look pretty injured. Are you sure you want to continue with the test today? With you being injured it may decrease the chance of you passing the test."

Sakura looked at Kakashi with determination. "I'm sure Kakashi-sensei," she said. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I won't hold back Sasuke-kun or Naruto-sama. I can make it."

'_Naruto-sama?'_ thought Kakashi, before he just shook his head and decided to ask his female student about 'that' later.

"Ok then, but next time you and Sasuke spar, you two need to be more careful. Especially you Sasuke. There's a difference between a fight to the death and just a simple spar. Just try not to overdo it and go too far next time," said Kakashi as he glanced at both Sakura and Sasuke.

"Yes Kakashi-sensei," said both Sasuke and Sakura at the same time.

Kakashi nodded his head. "Alright, now before I explain your Genin exam, I need to talk to Naruto for just a little bit," he said.

Kakashi then looked at Naruto. "Could you come with me for a second Naruto?"

Naruto nodded his head and stood up. He then walked with Kakashi over to a secluded spot that was away from the ears of his other two teammates.

Kakashi then turned to Naruto and spoke softly. "Listen, I'm sorry about the other day when I called you a demon and tried to prevent you from entering Konoha. I...lost my sensei to the Kyuubi and he was like a father to me. The Hokage and I had a long talk. I'm now over my hatred for you and I understand that you and the Kyuubi aren't the same being," he said. "Yes, the Hokage has notified me that you already know about the fox demon."

Kakashi stopped to sigh. "I realized now that I've hated a person who had never done anything wrong to me," he said. "So I hope we can start on better terms and that you'll forgive me for my foolishness."

That whole speech made Kakashi sick to his stomach. Of course, Kakashi still hated Naruto. He was only trying to get Naruto to believe that he didn't hate him, because the Hokage had reminded him yesterday that he wanted him to act at least neutral towards Naruto. It was so that Naruto would believe that not everyone in the village hated him and that he would come to believe that he had precious people in the village.

The Hokage didn't want Naruto to know that even his own sensei hated his guts. It was a part of the Hokage's plan to keep Naruto loyal to the Leaf.

As for Naruto, he knew that Kakashi was lying through his teeth. He could still see the almost completely hidden hatred in Kakashi's eye when he looked at him. But for now, Naruto decided he would play Kakashi's little game.

Naruto slowly nodded his head. "I forgive you. I understand."

Kakashi's eye went into you U-shape. "Thank you Naruto!," he exclaimed. "Now, how about we head back to Sasuke and Sakura so I can explain the test?"

Naruto nodded his head again, and so they both went back over to where Sakura and Sasuke were waiting.

"Ok, today we will be doing a survival test," said Kakashi.

"A survival test? But Kakashi-sensei, we've done a lot of those at the academy!" Sakura complained.

"That is true Sakura. However, this one will be a lot more difficult. And if you fail, you will not only be tied to one of these posts and not get any lunch…but you will be sent back to the academy."

Sakura wanted to screech as loud as she could, but she glanced over at Naruto and remembered again that he would not be pleased if she did, so she just simply asked a question in a normal voice. "Kakashi-sensei, what exactly is this survival test?"

Kakashi's eye once again went into a U shape. "I'm glad you asked Sakura."

The Jounin pulled out two bells that were attached to a string, and then tied those bells to his belt.

"Your objective is to get one of these two bells by noon using any means necessary. Whoever gets a bell will pass. Those who fail to get a bell will be sent back to the academy."

Suddenly, Sakura noticed something about this test. "But sensei, there are only two bells."

"That's right Sakura. That means that only two people can pass this test. "

Kakashi pulled out an alarm clock from who knows where, and set it on one of the three posts in the clearing.

"This alarm clock will go off at noon," Kakashi said. "Now remember…come at me with the intent to kill."

"But that's dangerous sensei!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Oh, and Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi eye smiled at him. "Don't use your katana in this test," he ordered. "If you do, you automatically fail, got it? I want to see how your skills are as a ninja, not a samurai. You may not always have your sword with you when you get into a battle."

Kakashi was expecting for Naruto to complain or at least glare at him.

But all Naruto did was just shrug his shoulders.

"Ok," Naruto said.

Kakashi was a little irritated…and nervous about that being the only response he got from Naruto.

'_Stupid demon. Why is he acting so calm about not being able to use his sword?' _Kakashi thought furiously. _'Isn't a samurai's sword the main source of his power? He's not even complaining or questioning about it. He's either overconfident, has something hidden up his sleeve, or just trying to act as if it doesn't bother him. _

Kakashi thought more about why Naruto's simple response. _'Hmm…Oh well, I'm sure I'll be able to humiliate him and put him in his place if he can't use a katana," he thought. "It doesn't matter if this team passes or fails anyway, since Sasuke is on the team and I want to train him. Not to mention that the council already ordered me to pass this team because of Sasuke and the Hokage ordered me to pass them because of Naruto,'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi came out of his thoughts. "Alright then, the test will begin…now!"

Instantly, all three potential Genin disappeared from their spots and hid.

'_Ok, it seems everyone is hiding pretty well, even the samurai…'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi slowly reached his hand into his pouch. Both Sasuke and Sakura tensed up at this action as they narrowed their eyes while Naruto just looked on.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Kakashi pulled out…an orange book.

An Icha Icha Paradise orange book.

Sakura huffed in annoyance while Sasuke shook his head.

Naruto just sighed.

Kakashi just proceeded to stand there, reading his smut and letting out perverse giggles every now and then.

Sasuke got fed up with Kakashi's antics and saw his chance to catch Kakashi off guard. He threw shuriken and kunai right at Jounin. At first Sasuke thought he had hit him, but then he saw that all he hit…was a log.

Sasuke then started jumping through trees away from the area that Kakashi was in. _'Damnit! He used the replacement technique!"_ he thought. _He must have determined my location from that attack I launched!'_

Sasuke finally landed on the ground and started running through the forest.

Meanwhile, Sakura was looking for Sasuke, wondering if Kakashi had got him. All of a sudden, a hand wrapped around her mouth and she was grabbed from behind and pulled into some bushes. Sakura struggled a little and her scream was muffled by the hand over her mouth until a voice whispered in her ear. "Sakura, calm down. It's me, Naruto."

Sakura blushed at the close contact and was nervous at the same time. Naruto quickly released her so he wouldn't have to touch the pink-haired thing more then he would have to.

Naruto also reminded himself to wash his right hand when this whole ordeal was over after having it over Sakura's mouth. Maybe a shower wouldn't hurt either…

"Naruto-sama! W-what are y-you doing here? I have to go find Sasuke-kun! Kakashi could have gotten him!" whispered Sakura.

"Sakura, I figured out the point of this test," whispered Naruto.

Sakura blinked a couple of times. "Well, isn't the point of the test to get the bells Naruto-sama?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, the answer is simple," he said. "It's teamwork."

It was then that Sakura decided to ask an intelligent question.

"Huh?"

Naruto sighed…again and wondered why he's been surrounded by idiots lately. "Have you ever heard of a Genin team that is actually made up of two people Sakura? Surely that piece of information was mentioned in the academy you went to. Also, do you really think that normally a Genin could take down a Jounin? The only slim possibility that something like a bell could be taken away from a Jounin is if three or more Genin worked together. A Genin has no chance when facing a Jounin alone."

Sakura thought for a moment. "But didn't Kakashi say-"

"He just said what he said to put us against each other," Naruto said. "He doesn't want the purpose of this test to be obvious."

"Ohhhhhhh. I get it now."

Sakura blushed in embarrassment. And she had a good reason to. She's lived in Konoha all her life and spent years at the academy. And here was some new kid who only spent a few years in Konoha and never even attended the academy, and he was the one to get the true purpose of the test using information that she felt she should have remembered.

"Good, now let's go find Sasuke so we can all work together," Naruto said.

Sakura nodded and they both went to look for Sasuke.

It wasn't too long until they found the Uchiha. He was buried into the ground with only his head sticking out. Sakura was about to scream when she saw him, but Naruto again covered her mouth with his hand to prevent her from giving away their position. She could scream pretty loud after all.

"Relax, he's just buried into the ground by some jutsu Kakashi used," Naruto said. "We'll just dig him out."

Sakura nodded her head before they both came out of the bushes and headed towards Sasuke.

Sasuke could only glare at them when he saw them. "Not…a…word."

Naruto just shrugged while Sakura proceeded to dig him out.

"Listen Sasuke, the purpose of this exercise isn't really to get the bells. It's teamwork. So we're going to have to work together to get the bells from Kakashi."

Sasuke scoffed. "I could get them on my own if I wanted to. How do you know the purpose is teamwork anyway?"

"I already explained about that to Sakura, she can tell you. I don't feel like repeating myself."

After Sakura dug Sasuke out of the ground, she told Sasuke about how Naruto knew the true purpose of the bell test, and emphasized how important it was that all three of them work together.

Sasuke turned towards Naruto and smiked. "So is the purpose of this test the only reason you're not fighting Kakashi-sensei by yourself?" he asked. "Or is it because you're not as near as powerful without your sword samurai?"

"I don't want to show what all I can do without a sword if I don't have to. It's better if I always have the element of surprise," said Naruto as he lit up a cigarette and started smoking it.

"Yeah but…this is Konoha. We're all allies here," Sakura said. "You shouldn't be scared to show your full abilities to your sensei or teammates."

Sasuke turned to look at Sakura with a glare. "Don't be a fool Sakura. There's always a chance that your allies could become your enemies in the future. There are probably also people here that are spies from other villages. You just never know…"

It was then that Sasuke thought about his brother…

"Enough. We've wasted too much time already with discussing philosophy. We need to come up with a plan to get the bells from Cockkashi. And I have just the right idea," said Naruto.

The blond samurai was curious about how well Sakura and Sasuke could be used by him in battle. Naruto wasn't really coming up with a plan just for the purpose of passing Kakashi's test. He had a strong feeling that the Jounin would still pass them even if they failed.

Sakura snickered at Naruto's name for Kakashi while Sasuke just smirked.

All three of them then got into a huddle and began coming up with a plan.

_Four Minutes Later_

"I…I don't know. I'm scared. What if I get real hurt or even killed?" said Sakura.

"Calm down Sakura. I have complete faith in Kakashi doing what I know he'll do," Naruto said. "You'll barely get a scratch on you."

"Naruto, this is still pretty dangerous for her. If she gets hurt, I'm not going to take the blame this time!" growled Sasuke.

"Sasuke, she's not going to get hurt," Naruto assured. "She may get a few scratches on her when Kakashi shoves her out of the way, but that's about it. And even if she does get hurt severely, I'll take the full blame for it. I won't even say that you two had any part in this plan. I'll just say that my aim was off because I've never used kunai and shuriken very much," he said.

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Promise me then! Promise us both that you'll take the full blame if she gets really hurt!

Naruto just smoked his cigarette. "I promise. But I think you both are overreacting. Sakura is going to be just fine. Now look Sasuke, do you want to pass this test or not. How badly do you want to be a ninja so you can get your…revenge?"

Sasuke sighed and looked down towards the ground. "I want it. Fine. Let's do this."

"Sasuke-kun…I don't know if I can do this or not. I'm…I'm scared Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke turned towards Sakura, his stare upon her becoming intense. "Sakura…do you love me?"

Sakura's eyes instantly lit up. "Of course Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke's eyes then hardened. "If you love me…then you'll do this for me Sakura. Just this one thing."

Sakura had a nervous look on her face before it turned to determination. "O-ok Sasuke-kun, I'll do it," she said. "I'll prove my love for you!"

Sasuke nodded his head. But, he could see that she was still a little nervous and he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. He also wanted to make sure that she didn't back out of the plan at the last minute. So, he decided to add in something else…even though it would be hard for him to say. "Sakura, after this test is over…we'll go…on a date, ok?"

Sakura instantly squealed and had hearts in her eyes. "Sure Sasuke-kun! I won't fail you! I promise!"

'_I think I'm going to be sick watching this little romance play out,'_ thought Naruto.

"Enough of this. The time for this test is almost up. We need to put our plan into action now. Let's move out," said Naruto.

Instantly all three of the disappeared and went to go search for Kakashi.

Speaking of Kakashi, he was in another clearing, reading his little orange book.

'_Their time is almost up. I think I'll go put Naruto in his place while I still have the time. That demon brat will be helpless without being able to use that sword of his,'_ thought Kakashi as he closed his book and put it in his pouch. However, before he could go search for Naruto, Sakura came out of the forest glaring at him.

"I will avenge Sasuke-kun! You and me just taijutsu! Right here! Right now!" yelled Sakura.

Kakashi chuckled. "Ok, I guess I'll give you a quick lesson on taijutsu before going after Naruto. Come show me what you can do Sakura."

Sakura charged towards Kakashi as fast as she could. She threw a right punch at him but he just blocked it with ease. She threw another punch but he dodged as easily as drinking water. She threw a few kicks at him which he blocked. She then jumped to the right side of him and took out a kunai, but ended up accidently cutting her arm with it and dropping it instead.

"You should be more careful with those Sakura," said Kakashi.

All of a sudden a hail of kunai and shuriken came out of some bushes very fast. They were traveling at a faster speed than most kunai and shuriken do when thrown. But they weren't heading towards Kakashi. They were heading….towards Sakura.

"Sakura! Look out!" yelled Kakashi. But he could see that she wasn't going to be able to dodge or block them in time. She was just standing there looking at them coming towards her and acting as if she was frozen in fear. He didn't even have enough time to get in front of her and block all of them with a kunai. They were coming in fast! And the Jounin knew she wasn't a bunshin because if she was, then he wouldn't have been able to feel her punches and kicks. And she couldn't even be a kage bunshin, because he saw her bleed awhile ago when she accidently cut her arm.

Kakashi knew that those kunai and shuriken were going to hit Sakura at vital places. She could even get killed! Right before Sakura was fixing to get hit; he shoved her out of the way and took her place instead. Instantly he put his arms up in front of him to keep some of the kunai and shuriken slicing into his neck, head, eyes, and such other vital areas.

Some of the kunai and shuriken sliced into his arms. Others pierced his shoulders. Some of them hit his legs. And some even hit his chest. Kakashi was breathing heavy by the time he thought all of it was over. He was bleeding everywhere. He slowly put his arms down…when all of a sudden he got a real bad feeling.

Looking down, Kakashi found out that the kunai Sakura dropped awhile ago…had an exploding tag on it. In a flash he tried leaping into the air to get out of the way, but the explosion still caught him because he was still too close to it, and so he was thrown into a tree. Right when he hit the tree, ninja wires wrapped all around him and tied him down.

Sasuke appeared in front of Kakashi holding the ends of the wires. Naruto suddenly appeared out of nowhere and quickly grabbed the bells off of Kakashi's belt before appearing beside Sasuke. It was then that Sakura came out of her hiding place and walked over to Naruto and Sasuke.

"Here," Naruto said. "Take them." He handed the bells to Sasuke and Sakura.

And it was just then that the timer went off and started ringing.

Sasuke smirked. "Just in time."

Kakashi was silent for a minute has he tried to gain back his bearings. But when he regained his senses…

He was not very happy.

"Let me go…" growled Kakashi as he narrowed his one eye at them.

Sakura and Sasuke looked at Kakashi in confusion, while Naruto quickly cut through the wires holding down Kakashi before sheathing his katana. Kakashi landed on the ground and then just stood there…staring at them in anger.

Sasuke soon got annoyed. "Don't be such a sore loser Kakashi-sensei. We figured out that the purpose of this test was teamwork and we worked together. We even got your stupid bells. It was fair and square."

Kakashi clenched his fists. "Fair you say? Was it fair for you and Naruto to put Sakura into that kind of danger she was in awhile ago? I know that what almost happened to Sakura was no accident. You two set her up and used her as some sacrifice so you could selfishly get the bells from me."

"But Kakashi-sensei! I agreed with the plan Sasuke-kun and Naruto-sama came up with! I did it voluntarily! I knew what I was getting myself into Kakashi-sensei. So you see Sasuke-kun and Naruto-sama didn't trick me or anything like that! They did nothing wrong sensei!" exclaimed Sakura.

Kakashi turned his fierce glare towards Sakura. "No Sakura! What they did was wrong! Very wrong! You should have not even agreed to their scheming! You could have gotten seriously hurt or even killed!"

Kakashi then looked at all three of them. "What is wrong with you kids? Which one of you came up with idea of putting Sakura in grave danger like that?"

Naruto stepped forward. "Me."

Kakashi narrowed his eye further as he glared at Naruto. _'I should have known…'_

"I don't know how you people at Japan treat their comrades, but over here we don't sacrifice our teammates Naruto. The mission does not come first. Your team does." said Kakashi.

Naruto tilted his head a little. "But we didn't sacrifice Sakura. She's standing right here alive and hardly a scratch on her. I did not intend to use her as a sacrifice because I knew that you would save her…which you did."

"And what if I hadn't gotten there in time Naruto? What if I had thought she was just a bunshin? I was barely able to get there in time to save Sakura. What if she had gotten seriously injured or even killed?" exclaimed Kakashi.

Naruto just inhaled on his cigarette before answering, the smoke escaping his lips. "What could have happened is not the point. The point is that Sasuke and I had no intention for Sakura to get hurt or killed. Why do you think she engaged you in taijutsu? Why do you think she acted as if she accidently cut herself with a kunai? It was so that you wouldn't think she was just a bunshin or a kage bunshin, and thus you would risk yourself to save her. Sakura also agreed to my idea and the rest of our plan. As she said awhile ago, she knew what she was getting herself into. Do you understand that? She agreed to take a risk."

Naruto threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it. "Sakura voluntarily decided to risk her safety for the team. Sometimes certain members of a team have to take risks for the good of their comrades. I've taken countless risks back in Japan for my own comrades, and I've seen many others do the same. No one forced Sakura to take any risk. No one forced me in the past to take any risk. And I've never seen anyone else that has been forced by someone else to take risks. No one on this team was used as a so-called 'sacrifice.'"

Kakashi stared at Naruto, deciding to inquire him later about how he knew of the kage bunshin, before looking at all three of them as a whole. "You three have passed my test. You worked as a team and… (sigh) you even got the bells from me. However, I do not fully approve of the plan you three came up with to get the bells. None of you needed to take such a risk for the team just for something as simple as this. I could maybe understand if it was an actual life and death situation, but this was just a simple bell test. And Naruto, I think you actually deceived Sakura into doing what she did."

"No one deceived me to do anything!" growled Sakura.

Sakura clearly didn't want to think that Sasuke-kun would ever deceive her or that she was dumb enough to be deceived.

Naruto just continued to smoke his cigarette and shrugged. "Think what you will Kakashi."

One of the main reasons though that Kakashi was upset was because Sakura's mother was on the council. If it had been any other student, he wouldn't have been as upset about it.

"Naruto, just remember that this isn't the world of samurai. This is the world…of ninjas. And in the world of ninjas, those who break the rules are called scum. But those who don't take care of their teammates are even worse than scum. I want all of you to remember that," said Kakashi.

There was a long pause before Kakashi continued to talk. "We'll meet here tomorrow at the same time and start doing missions. We are officially now Team 7. Your lunches are setting there on that stone. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to the hospital to get these wounds treated." And with that Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke.

The newly formed Team 7 stared at each other for a minute. Then Naruto slowly walked over to his lunch, sat down on the ground, and began eating it.

Sakura cheered. "We passed Sasuke-kun!" She hugged the Uchiha as tightly as she could.

Sasuke pried Sakura off him and walked over to where the other two lunches were sitting at.

"Let's just eat," said Sasuke.

"Ok Sasuke-kun!" said Sakura as she walked with Sasuke to get her lunch.

Even though Sasuke didn't show it on the outside, he was very pleased with being able to pass Kakashi's test. He even convinced himself that the main reason his team passed was because of him. So, he was quiet content at the moment.

After they finished eating, Sakura decided to ask a question that's been on her mind. "Naruto-sama?"

"Yes?" asked Naruto.

"I know this may sound harsh, but…you didn't really deceive me into tricking Kakashi did you?" asked Sakura.

Naruto shook his head and lied. "No, I did not deceive you. Sasuke and I gave you the option of carrying out your part of the plan, and you agreed. It's as simple as that Sakura."

Sakura looked down. "Oh…umm, ok."

Naruto got up off the ground. "I'm going home. I'll see you two tomorrow," he said. "Later."

Naruto started walking off until he suddenly stopped. "Oh…I almost forgot."

Sakura and Sasuke looked at him curiously.

Naruto turned his head towards them. "Sasuke, don't forget the date you said you'd go on with Sakura." And then he walked off.

'_That bastard!'_ thought Sasuke.

Sakura squealed in delight and hugged Sasuke again. "Oh, I almost forgot! So when is our date Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke could only sigh.


	8. Chapter 8

Authors Note: Hey what's up people? Here's another chapter of 'Tears of Darkness.' I know it's a little short, but the next chapter may be a little longer. Now Naruto may not seem too evil right now, but I will say that he will be much more evil later on in this story. Just be patient lol. So now I leave you all with this chapter. Please give me reviews so that I know that I'm going to right direction or if I need to change a few things. As for me, I think I'm going to go eat some Japanese food after submitting this chapter! Yum! XD

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_**Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 8**_

Naruto walked through the streets of Konoha after he had left Sakura and Sasuke at training ground 7. He ignored all the glares and whispers of him being a 'demon' and 'monster.' Some people had even called him those names out loud. He was getting sick of it though. He could understand if some of these people hated him because of how he killed Leaf ninjas before back when he was fighting in Japan. But the main reason everyone hated him was for something he couldn't help.

Oh well.

Naruto didn't need the respect of a bunch of arrogant idiots. He never had to deal with people like this at Japan. Over there, he was at least respected as a human being, if not a hero. People here in Konoha just thought of him as being lower than dirt. As if he was supposed to submit to them as being their scapegoat and servant.

Naruto would die before he would let himself become that way. The Hokage's orders be damned!

"Fucking bitch!"

Naruto came out of his thoughts and looked ahead of him to see some drunk yelling at a woman dressed in a brown trench coat with purple hair that was in the shape of a peacock.

"I don't want any trouble!" said the woman.

The drunk threw an empty bottle at her, which she swiftly dodged. "Why don't you just die snake whore?"

"Leave me alone asshole!"

In a flash, a crowd joined in with the drunk and began shouting insults towards the woman and throwing rocks, bottles, and rotten fruit at her.

"You're a traitor!"

"You should have died with that bastard sensei of yours bitch!"

"You'll always be nothing in this village! You're just a part of that evil traitor!"

"Why don't you just kill yourself? You'll always be a piece of shit to us anyway!"

The woman tried to quickly walk away, but the crowd just followed her, so she started running, while the newly turned mob was on her heels. She turned a corner and into a back alley, but she found herself at a dead end. She turned around, only to be hit in the head with a rock. She stumbled back into a wall while clutching her forehead where the rock had hit her at. She looked ahead and found the whole mob in front of her.

A Chuunin stepped forward in front of the mob as he glared at the woman. "There's no escape you stupid snake whore. And you'll just be punished by the council if you fight back. So just be a good little slut and accept your beating while I fuck you senseless!" The Chuunin gave a lecherous grin as a lot of the men in the mob laughed while the women in the mob gave an evil smile.

The cornered woman was horrified.

And then to the woman's surprise she noticed that the Chuunin wasn't the only ninja in the crowd. There were also some more Chunnin in the mob along with some Genin who were in their 20s and early 30s. The mob slowly started moving down the alley towards her. All the woman could do was grind her teeth and hope ANBU would arrive to save her. If she fought back, then Konoha's council could even have her executed. Plus, there were some personal reasons that she didn't fight back. The Hokage her told countless times that his hands were almost completely tied down by the council and that was the reason why he couldn't help her more. But sometimes she got the feeling that he wasn't being completely truthful...but she just liked to think she was being paranoid when she came to such thoughts.

All of sudden, she felt a huge wave of heat and before she knew what was happening, she saw the mob before her consumed by a big wall of fire. Their screams of agony only lasted for a second before they all was nothing more than ashes. When the fire got close to her, she had to close her eyes and cross her arms in front of her head as she pushed herself into the wall to get as far away from the flames as she could.

Then all of a sudden, as if it was never even there, the flames disappeared. Slowly the woman put her arms down and opened her eyes only to see smoke in her vision. But it wasn't thick enough to keep her from seeing through the smoke a young boy standing at the entrance of the back alley with his katana pointed towards where the mob used to be. Slowly, he lowered his sword, and then put back in its sheath. He then started walking towards her. At first she didn't recognize him, until he walked through the smoke, and it was only then she knew who he was when she saw his face. Everyone in Konoha knew who he was…

The demon brat…

Or his more famous title…

The Battousai's Apprentice.

"You…you k-killed them d-didn't you?" stuttered the woman.

Naruto just stared at her before he slowly nodded his head.

"Yes I did…Anko-san," said Naruto.

Naruto had instantly known who this woman was when he saw her being harassed by that drunk awhile ago. He did mention before that he had read at the library. However, he never really mentioned which library he's been to.

The truth is that Sarutobi had allowed Naruto to read books in the Hokage's library since it would obviously cause a big commotion if he had tried to go the village's public library. Of course, the old man didn't let him near any of the books in the library that pertained to jutsus or any techniques. Sarutobi had only allowed him to look at books that pertained to the history of the Leaf as well as Konoha's culture. And there were always guards there in the library with him who made sure he didn't look at any other type of book. In one of the history books he studied, he had read the history about Orochimaru and even the apprentice he used to have. The reason he was able to recognize Anko was because there was even some pictures of her in some of the pages regarding information pertaining to Orochimaru in the history book he read. These pictures not only showed what she looked as a child, but also what she looked as an adult in the current timeline. He knew that there was a possibility the woman would be hated in the village like he was given her history with Orochimaru.

Naruto didn't really know why Sarutobi even allowed him into the Hokage library, but suspected that it was so he could gain more of his trust.

Naruto also suspected that some of the information in those history books weren't even taught at the ninja academy. But he didn't know if the Hokage intended for him to find such information or not.

Anko was surprised that the kid knew her name, but decided to ask about that later since she felt she needed to focus more on the present.

"You didn't need to go that far!" yelled Anko.

Naruto just stared at her for a moment before he spoke. "They were going to harm you."

"I know, but that didn't mean you had to kill them! ANBU would have saved me sooner or later."

Naruto titled his head and gave Anko a confused look. "Why is it that I shouldn't kill them if they mean harm? I don't understand…"

"Well, a good number of people in that mob were drunk and didn't really know what they were doing. And they weren't really going to kill me. They were just going to beat me up…"

"Some of the men in that mob were going to do worse than beat you."

Anko flinched. "Well… there are times when…people in this village discriminate against those like me. There's nothing I can really do about it…"

Naruto was still confused about this strange woman's behavior. "I don't comprehend this. When I stand up to people that try to abuse me, they quit. Why do you do the opposite of what I do?"

Anko paused before looking down towards the ground and answering. "Because I want to redeem myself."

Naruto had an idea why she wanted to redeem herself, but he decided to ask anyway just in case she wanted to redeem herself for an entirely different reason.

"Why?" asked Naruto.

Anko looked up at him and stared sadly at him for a minute before answering. "I was once Orochimaru's apprentice," she answered. "Do you know who that is?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head. "Yes," he said. "But I don't hate you or look down on you because of that."

Anko gave him a sad smile. "Many people here don't know the different between me and Orochimaru. So…I have a lot to prove in order to fit in…"

Naurto nodded his head again before sighing. "Are you going to tell anyone about what I did?"

Anko looked away. "It won't matter if I do or not. The Hokage somehow knows everything that goes on in this village. I'm sure he will be aware of what you just did and I'm afraid…you may be in big trouble. That's one of the reasons I don't fight back…"

Naruto shook his head. "I know how the Hokage is aware of everything in this village. And I…have way to keep him from seeing some of the things I do."

Now it was Anko's turn to look confused. "What? Really? How do you keep him from knowing?"

Anko than got a suspicious look on her face. "Wait a minute, what kind of things is it you do that you wouldn't want the Hokage to know about?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer your first question. As for your second question, well, what I do is just defend myself against those that attack me…with extreme prejudice."

Anko's eyes widened. "So, this isn't the first time you killed civilians and ninja here?"

"I think I already made it clear to you before that I stand up for myself," said Naruto

Anko looked at Naruto with a stern glare. "I should report you!" she yelled. "I should just turn you in for not only what you did here, but what you did before."

Naruto just calmly answered her. "But you won't."

Anko continued to glare at Naruto, before she slowly looked towards the ground and sighed.

"No…of course I won't," she whispered, "You saved me. You helped me when no one else would. You're one of the few people that aren't bothered by my past…"

Naruto couldn't help but be curious. "And are you bothered by my past Anko-san?" he asked. "Are you bothered by what's inside of me?"

Anko looked directly into Naruto's eyes. "No gaki, I'm not. I know what it's like to be hated for something you don't have control over. As for your past, well, you were just fighting for your side. You were fighting for your country. You didn't kill any of our ninja just out of spite. You did it because you were in a war and we just happened to be on the other side."

Naruto could see no deception in Anko's eyes. He was still cautious of her though. But as he looked into those eyes of hers, something deep inside told him that she was being honest with what she said. It was then Naruto decided that she was actually the first person in this whole village that actually didn't hate him after knowing what's inside of him. He was surprised by this, as he actually wasn't expecting to find anyone like that. He suspected that she wouldn't be like the other people in this village that hated him because her situation was similar to his. That was why he saved her. But he did have a lot of doubt that she would be any different from everyone else in the Leaf as well. Of course, he would have killed her if she did hate him. He couldn't risk her ratting him out. But it seems he wouldn't have to worry about that anymore…Besides, even if she did tell on him, there was no evidence to back up her words considering there was nothing left of that mob.

Naruto turned around. "Thank you for understanding…and not turning me in. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way. Perhaps we'll meet again Anko-san." He than walked out of the back alley, turned the corner, and disappeared.

Anko stood there for a few seconds just staring at where Naruto used to stand, before she snapped out of whatever trance she was in. "Hey gaki! Wait up! You never told me how you knew my name!" Anko ran out of the back alley and turned the corner that Naruto took…but she didn't see him. He just disappeared like a ghost.

"Huh…weird," said Anko. She smiled and looked up at the sky.

'You're a pretty interesting kid gaki. We'll meet again sooner than you think...' thought Anko.


	9. Chapter 9

Authors Note: Hiya People. Ok, here's the next chapter of, "Tears of Darkness." I'm afraid I'm going to need some help from you reviewers again in writing this story. Oh, by the way, that reminds me, I would like to thank RyumaOmega for giving me a good time line. Now listen, here's something that I want to do with the Wave Arc. I want to have the time between Zabuza being injured and then him coming back to re-challenge Cockkashi (Kakashi) to be in months instead of weeks. In order for that to happen though, I will also need the construction of the bridge to take months instead of weeks. So I need to come up with a good explanation for it. One of the explanations that I have is that in my AU of Naruto, Team 7 was able to complete their D-rank missions a lot faster than in cannon. But I don't know if that's a good explanation or not. Also, I need people to tell me if I am accurate about Japan's history in regards to the civil war. Also, if anyone has a good idea about what Naruto's katana should look like, then please feel free to give me suggestions either in the reviews or in a message, and I will choose your suggestion and then give you credit in my authors notes. I also heard that there are different kinds of Katanas, but I'm not sure. So if anyone could tell me if there is, that would be great. Oh, and PLEASE GO BACK AND RE-READ ChAPTER 4! I discovered that there were a lot of plot holes in that chapter and things that didn't make sense, so I made some changes to it. It will help you readers understand this story better if you re-read that chapter. Ok, on with the story!

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_**Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 9**_

"This is Sasuke, arrived at point B."

"This is Sakura, arrived at point C."

"(sigh) Naruto, arrived at point A. "

Suddenly a figure covered in a shadow in the shape of some kind of animal leaped into a clearing.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura appeared behind some trees that were behind this mysterious target. Kakashi himself was hidden in some bushes.

"There it is," said Sakura.

Sasuke and Sakura ran to and hid behind a set of trees that were closer to who they were after. Naruto simply vanished.

"What's the distance to the target?" asked Kakashi.

There was a pause before Sasuke finally answered. "About 5 meters."

"I'm ready for this," said Sakura.

"Me too," said Sasuke before he began looking around. "Wait a minute, where is…?"

"I'm behind a tree in front of the target. In case you two aren't able to get him, he'll most likely run in my direction and I'll take care of him," said Naruto.

"Naruto, try to stick more to the plan next time," said Kakashi, who felt kind of smug about scolding Naruto, even though it was only a little.

Naruto simply ignored the one-eyed Jounin.

"Ok, Team 7, go!" exclaimed Kakashi.

Sakura and Sasuke jumped out of their hiding places and headed straight for their target. Sakura was able to reach it first and she latched onto what they were after which turned out to be…a cat.

A very mean one at that.

She tried to hold onto him, but it scratched her all over her face, scratched her clothes, and when she fell to the ground, it even stomped on her head. Sasuke was about to report to Kakashi through his radio head piece that their mission was a success, when all of a sudden …he saw it.

There was Sakura, laying on the ground and twitching every now and then, while the cat was standing on her huge forehead as it hissed at him.

'_Uh oh,'_ thought Sasuke, before the cat suddenly latched onto his face and started clawing the shit out of him. Sasuke tried his best to get the damn thing off him, but the animal seemed to feel that he deserved to be punished. After a minute of clawing, biting, and cursing, Naruto came into the clearing.

As soon as Naruto appeared, the cat jumped off of Sasuke and landed in front of the blond samurai. This time though, the cat didn't even hiss or attack. It just stared into Naruto's eyes. For awhile, that's all those two did. Just staring at each other. Then, slowly, Naruto got down on one knee and held his arms out. The cat stared at him more for a few seconds, before walking over to Naruto and accepted being scooped up into the samurai's arms. Naruto than proceeded to rock the cat back and forth.

"Mission is a success," said Naruto into his radio communicator. Sakura and Sasuke glared at Naruto. They didn't look so good. The two of them had scratches all over their faces and in their clothes. Their hair was also a real mess. They then turned their glares towards the cat in Naruto's arms when it started to purr contently.

"Stupid evil cat," muttered Sakura.

"Does it have a ribbon in its right ear? Is it Tora?" Kakashi's voice came over the line.

"Yes it does," Naruto confirmed. "This is our target."

"Good. 'Operation Capture Tora the Lost Pet' is complete." said Kakashi.

Sasuke pulled out a kunai. "Just hand over that little monster Naruto. It needs to die."

Sakura vigorously nodded her head. "That's right Naruto-sama. It's evil! It will kill us all eventually. Just look at what it did to my hair and beautiful face!" Sakura started to cry dramatically.

Sasuke than glared angrily at the cat after it stuck its tongue out at him. "Naruto, this has been going on for far too long. I don't know how you're able to always calm that thing down and catch it, but this needs to end here. That demon has been plaguing us for a long time. I will end its reign of terror once…and for all…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You do know that this is just a cat, right?"

"It's an evil little creature that only acts nice towards you because it plans to devour your soul!" exclaimed Sakura.

Sasuke scowled. "I wouldn't be surprised."

Sakura had hearts in her eyes as she was so excited that her crush agreed with her. "Oh Sasuke-kun…"

'_Are all people from Konoha this stupid?'_ thought Naruto as he shook his head. "Look, it's not a demon, a monster, and it certainly doesn't devour souls. It's cat. A fucking cat. And we really didn't need to act as if we were going to assassinate someone just to catch it. This is just ridicules. All you need to do is just approach the cat slowly and keep eye contact with it. You need to let it know that you're not going to harm it. You need to be gentle," Sasuke scoffed, "and not just chase after it when you first see it. And it may take some practice, but you'll get it down eventually. It's as simple as that."

"Whatever, there isn't going to be anymore 'practice' because it's going to die…today." Sasuke slowly walked towards Naruto while gripping his kunai tightly in his hands. He was glaring at the cat in the blond's arms. However, he was only able to take a few steps before he felt a hand clamping down on his shoulder.

"That's enough Sasuke," said Kakashi as he looked down towards Sasuke while gripping his shoulders. He than looked at the young samurai. "Naruto, I think that for some reason, Tora just likes you. I don't know why. I'm sure people have tried before to catch Tora the way you described, but have failed. Maybe you just have a way with animals?"

Naruto had a feeling that Kakashi was referring to the Kyuubi, but he didn't care, so he just shrugged. "Let's just go see what other missions are available to us." And with that, Sakura and Sasuke followed Naruto to the Hokage Tower.

Kakashi stood where he was for a minute; a little annoyed that Naruto was taking leadership of the group when he's just supposed to be a weapon. He decided he would take care of that little problem later. After all, he was the sensei and it should be him to give the orders around here. Not to mention that he felt it should be Sasuke who is in command when he's not around.

(Hokage's Missions Office)

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, sat behind his desk as he gazed out over Konoha through his window. He couldn't help but contemplate about Naruto. He thought about when his S-Class secret concerning the boy being the Battousai's apprentice had gotten out to the public. He suddenly cursed himself when he came to realize that he didn't hold that S-Class secret as a top priority as he should have. One of the reasons he didn't consider it a top priority was because he knew that Naruto could defend himself very well in the case that his enemies or challengers would seek him out because of him being the Battousai's apprentice. But now that he looked back, he knew that those very same enemies or challengers would most likely kill anyone in their way. They could become more of a threat to other people in Konoha and even a threat to Naruto's teammates if Team 7 was to ever take a mission outside of the Leaf village.

The second reason Sarutobi didn't consider that S-Class secret as a top priority before was because he wanted to reveal Naruto as being the Battousai's apprentice later in the future. However, he had wanted the revelation of Naruto's identity to take place when another village was attacking Konohagakure. He thought that would be the right time to surprise the Leaf's enemies with the discovery that that the Battousai's apprentice was now under the Leaf's control. Oh how shocked those very same enemies would have been.

There was no telling what Iwa was planning and relations between the Leaf and Suna were already very strained. Not to mention there had been reports of Oroichimaru appearing in Rice Country where a new hidden shinobi village had been established. Sarutobi could only think how it would have been safer for the Leaf if Naruto's past identity was kept secret. There was also the chance that another shinobi village may try to recruit Naruto, so he would have to find a way to do something about that. If only he had considered that S-Class secret having more priority, than he would have never been so careless with trusting it with so many people, such as those Chuunin guards and that ANBU squad that was with him the day Naruto arrived at the Leaf. Suddenly, Sarutobi was brought out of his thoughts by a knock at his door.

"Come in!" yelled Sarutobi.

Sarutobi's secretary opened the door and stuck her head in. "Hokage-sama, Team 7 is here to see you."

Sarutobi waved off his secretary. "Yes, let them in."

"Hai Hokage-sama," said the secretary before she stepped aside and allowed Team 7 into the office. She couldn't help but glare at one of the Genin in the group before closing the door. Guess who it was she glared at?

"Team 7 has just completed our last mission and awaits another," said Kakashi.

"My baby!" cried a plump woman who had been sitting in the corner of the room. She was the Fire Daimyo's wife, Lady Shijimi. She ran over to Naruto, grabbed the cat out of his arms, and starting squeezing the life out of the poor thing.

Sakura had a sadistic smile on her face while watching the display.

Sasuke just smirked.

_'Poor kitty. It's no wonder it ran away. I would try to show the woman how to properly hold it so it wouldn't run off again, but it's amusing to watch the Haruno and Uchiha get all scratched up and frustrated. As for me, it's not real hard to catch it,'_ thought Naruto.

"Ohh, my cute little Tora-chan! I was so worried!" cried the Fire Daimyo's wife as she continued to choke her poor cat.

Sarutobi picked up a piece of paper and looked at it. "Ok Team 7, your next duty is babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighboring village, help some villagers carry some bags of manure… "

Suddenly there was a loud "MEOWWWWWW!" and a cry of, "No my little Tora-chan! Come back!"

The Hokage just sighed. "Or you could go catch Tora again."

Naruto shrugged while Sasuke glared at the Hokage. However, Sakura seemed to have a more explosive response.

"That's it! I'm sick of this! I'm through with chasing that stupid cat all over the village old man! And I don't like these other missions either. Give us something else. Something better! Something that doesn't waste my Sasuke-kun's skills!" exclaimed Sakura while she pulled her already messed up hair in frustration.

Iruka, who had been sitting next to the Hokage all this time helping him with mission requests, stood up out of his chair. "Sakura, shut up! How dare you talk that way to Hokage-sama! Every rookie Genin starts off with simple duties before performing higher ones!"

Sakura glared at Iruka. She still didn't forget how he had embarrassed her at the academy, and now he was embarrassing her again. Well, she would show him! However, before she could say anything she may regret, the Hokage had cut her off. "It seems I will have to explain what these duties entail." And so the Hokage went into a long explanation about the different rankings of missions and how they are handled, as well as the ranks of ninja in the village. After he had finished his speech, he started to notice something about Team 7…

"So Naruto-sama, do you think Sasuke-kun will like me better if my fingernails are painted red? Do…do you also like them Naruto-sama?" said Sakura as she showed him her red fingernails. As for Naruto, he was just inspecting his katana while ignoring Sakura's stupidity. Meanwhile, Kakashi was whispering to Sasuke about what private training he would give him later on.

The Hokage had a tickmark on his forehead as he watched all this. "Hey! Listen to me!"

All the members of Team 7 quit what they were doing and turned towards the old Hokage. "Oh, sorry about that Hokage-sama," said Kakashi as he rubbed the back of his head.

Sarutobi just sighed.

"Hokage-sama?" asked Sasuke.

"Yes Sasuke?" questioned the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, as much as I loath to admit it, I agree with Sakura here," Sakura cheered before Sasuke continued. "Our skills as a team and as individuals are being wasted with such trivial duties. I believe that our team has done more than enough D-Rank missions to be granted a higher one. I believe it's important that we, as rookie Genins, gain experience early in our careers. So I demand that we be given a higher ranked mission. These…D-Rank ones are below me," said Sasuke.

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe while deep in thought_. 'Hm…If Team 7 was to go on a mission outside of the village, they could be put in danger because of the demon's status as the Battousai's apprentice. But it is important that the last Uchiha gains experience as soon as possible. Kakashi will be there with them as well and he's the strongest Jounin in the village. And if Sasuke thinks he and the rest of Team 7 are ready, well then I should probably give him what he wants. Sasuke is a very important figure in Konoha, so he deserves better. Besides, the council would be displeased if I didn't and I don't want to deal with them anytime soon.'_

"Naruto, you've been awfully quiet. Don't you agree that we should go on a higher ranked mission?" asked Sasuke, who was wanting Naruto actually back him up on this, since he naturally, as if by instinct, saw the blond as the leader of their team.

Though, Sasuke would never admit it.

Everyone turned to stare at the blond samurai as he quietly smoked his cigarette. After a cloud of smoke left his lips, he decided to speak the truth. "Actually, I like these D-Rank missions."

Everyone gasped. No one had ever…EVER liked D-Rank missions. It was unheard of!

Naruto continued. "These missions are peaceful to me. They help keep my mind from drifting off towards things in the past I'd rather not think about. To me these missions are a welcome difference to the missions I used to take before I came to Konoha. They are not a reminder of the Bakumatsu no Doran I fought in like the higher ranked missions would be."

There was a long silence as everyone stared at Naruto in shock, and some in confusion, before the Hokage cleared his throat. "Kakashi, do you think your team is ready for a higher mission?"

The one-eyed pervert instantly responded. "Yes Hokage-sama," he said. "I believe they are."

The Hokage nodded his head before he looked at Naruto. "I'm afraid you've been outvoted Nartuo-kun. You should have known that you would be getting a higher ranked mission someday. It was only a matter of time."

"I suppose so Hokage-sama," said Naruto.

Sarutobi looked at Team 7. "I'll give you all a C-Rank mission. This mission concerns the protection of someone." Sarutobi paused as he smoked his pipe and than looked towards the door of his office. "You can come in here now!"

The door to Sarutobi's office opened to reveal a man who basically looked like a drunken bum. He was an old man with a gray beard and a rope tied around his head. He also had a bottle of sake in his left hand. He took a long swig of his alcohol before letting his gaze fall over Team 7. "What's this? Two brats and a samurai? The one with pink hair and a big forehead looks like she'd be better suited for the circus in some kind of freak show."

Sakura growled and lunged at him. "Why you!" However she was held back by Kakashi.

"We're supposed to protect the client, not kill him Sakura. There's a difference," said Kakashi.

The client took another long swig of his alcohol before speaking again. "I am the super expert bridge builder Tazuna. I expect you to protect me with your lives until I get back to Nami no Kuni and complete the bridge."

Kakashi nodded and then turned towards Team 7. "You all need to pack whatever you need for this trip and meet me and Tazuna at the north gate in one hour."

_Three Hours Later_

"WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?" screamed Sakura. She, Sasuke, and Tazuna had been waiting at the north gate of Konoha for a long while now. There was still no sign of Naruto and Kakashi. After a few minutes though of waiting, they were able to make out two figures in the distance walking their way. As these two figures came closer, they saw that one of them was wearing some kind of cloak and sugegasa hat, while the other one was a woman who wore a brown trench coat, had purple hair shaped as a peacock, and a short skirt. When these two people finally reached Team 7 and Tazuna, the woman spoke.

"So this is them eh gaki? They don't look like much," said Anko.

Sasuke glared at the woman while Sakura had a tickmark on her huge forehead. "Shut up you! Sasuke here is an elite Uchiha! And my other teammate is a powerhouse that was trained by the Battousai himself! I bet if he was here, you would realize our team is the greatest Genin team in Konoha!

Anko chuckled. "Is that so? And what exactly is it that you contribute wench? You must be the weak insect on the team. Or is it you're just too modest to say anything about your skills? Hmm, what could it be?"

"I have beauty!" exclaimed Sakura desperately.

Anko started laughing and turned to the person besides her. "Well gaki, at least they're pathetic enough to give you amusement!"

Sakura sputtered in rage while Sasuke just tried to burn a hole in Anko's head with his eyes.

"Behave Anko-san," said the other person, as he slowly took his sugegasa hat off to reveal…Naruto.

Anko pouted. "Aww, you never let me have any fun!"

"Naruto-sama!" gasped Sakura.

Naruto turned towards Sakura. "I'm touched that you have enough loyalty to actually speak so highly of me Sakura."

Sakura blushed and suddenly felt nervous. "Tha-thank you Naruto-sama."

Anko laughed. "Naruto-sama? Whoa! When did this happen? Are you somehow related to royalty gaki?"

"It's a long story," said Naruto, and his tone signified the end of that conversation.

Anko started to ruffle Naruto's hair, which annoyed the samurai to no end since he didn't like being touched. "Oh come on gaki! I have all day! You can tell me anything."

Naruto sighed and remembered the second time he met Anko.

_Flashback_

Naruto was walking back to his apartment. He had just gotten finished helping his team with their last D-Rank mission for the day, which involved painting a fence. He didn't mind at all, but his annoying teammates sure did. They mostly just complained and thought that they were too important to do such chores. And his so-called sensei, Cockkashi, just watched them do all the work.

When Naruto and his so-called team had training sessions, Kakashi would just focus on Sasuke and left Naruto and Sakura to do their own thing. However, Naruto already knew that would happen. He would never see Kakashi as his sensei. Naruto felt that he only had one sensei, and that was…Himura Kenshin.

"Hey there kiddo!" said a familiar voice, before an arm draped over his shoulder.

Naruto glanced at the arm, before looking to see that it belonged to Anko. "Hello Anko-san. Do you mind removing your arm?"

Anko gave Naruto a big silly grin. "Yep, I do mind!"

Naruto just gave her a blank stare before shrugging her arm off.

"Hey, don't be like that gaki!"

"What is it you want Anko-san?" asked Naruto.

Anko shrugged and smiled. "I just wanna hang out. That's all."

Naruto nodded before walking away. "Well, are you coming?"

Anko smiled before she began walking beside him. "So, you never told me how you knew my name?"

"You are kind of famous," answered Naruto.

Anko chuckled. "Oh? So you've heard all about me from the people around here huh?" Though she did wonder who would bother to tell Naruto anything about anyone in the village, much less talk to him, given that he was hated as much as she was.

_'Maybe he just listened in on other peoples' conversations…'_ thought Anko.

When Naruto didn't answer her, she decided to change the subject. "You know, I was one of the few ninja that the Hokage sent out to Japan to find out your identity and other information about you. That was back when no one knew you were the Battousai's apprentice. We were able to find this information since civilians were very talkative about you and your sensei. Heh, I actually thought it would be a lot harder."

Naruto suddenly stopped and leaked out a little killing intent, which freezed Anko in her place. "So you tortured them…" He said in a deathly whisper.

Anko held out her hands in a placating gesture and shook her head rapidly. "N-NO! Nothing like that. I just mean that you and your master were very popular in conversations between many civilians back at Japan. All we had to do was just listen in on these conversations. Nothing drastic!"

Naruto glared at her for a few seconds before nodding his head and started walking again. "I believe you," he said. "Thanks for helping me be sent to this hellhole by the way."

Anko flinched. "Oh come on gaki, I was just doing my job! It was nothing personal. Look, I don't hold anything against you for when you killed Leaf ninjas. I realize that you were just doing your job. So why can't you give me the same fair understanding? I didn't even realize you would be forced to come here when I…"

Naruto sighed. "I understand. I'm sorry Anko-san. I just…really hate this place. And I think you sometimes hate it too."

Anko's face saddened. "I know it seems really bad. Trust me, I know from experience. But it's not the end of the world. I mean, I have some friends here… You and I are friends too, so you're not totally alone. But sometimes I…" Anko's face suddenly brightened. "Hey! Let me help you make your stay here more enjoyable. I'll take you out to eat, come on! You can even choose where ya wanna go to!"

Naruto looked at her curiously. "You never finished what you were about to say," he said. "You sometimes what Anko-san?"

Anko shook her head. "It was nothing. I was just fixing to go on a useless dumb rant. So where ya wanna eat at? I'm hungry!"

Naruto decided to just drop the subject since she obviously didn't want to talk about what she was fixing to say awhile ago. He looked up at the sky and thought for a moment before looking back at Anko who was patiently waiting for his answer. "I suppose ramen would do."

Anko nodded. "Alright, but next time we go out to eat, it's going to be dango!"

Naruto shrugged. "I know of a ramen restaurant that we can go to. I used to go to it during my first years here. I might still remember how to get there." And so he started heading to his desired destination.

Anko followed him. "Lead the way!"

Anko gave a true smile, something that she rarely shown.

And from then on, Anko and Naruto would ever so often go out to eat together, or occasionally they would just walk the streets of Konoha. Sometimes, there would just be silence between them, until Anko would initiate a conversation of course. The civilians in Konoha believed that the 'demon brat' and 'snake whore' were teaming up to come up with a plan to bring down the village, but those idiots thought that the Hokage and the rest of the ninjas in the Leaf could keep them under control. But still, the thought of those two teaming up did make people a tad bit nervous…

_End Flashback_

Naruto came out of his memory lane to see Anko snapping her fingers in front of his face. "You ok gaki?" she asked. "You kinda just spaced out on me."

"I'm fine. Cockkashi is going to be here very soon, so I don't really have the time to tell you the story."

Sakura was relieved that Naruto wasn't going to tell that horrible woman what caused her to start calling him Naruto-sama. It was humiliating and terrifying….

Anko busted out laughing. "Hahahahha! Cockkashi! That's a good one. I'll have to remember to call him that next time I see him."

Suddenly there was a swirl of wind and leaves. Kakashi had arrived. "Yo!"

Anko waved. "Hey there…Cockkashi!"

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched. "What did you call me Anko?"

"Oh…nothing. Never mind," said Anko as she clasped her hands behind her back and started to whistle innocently.

Kakashi shook his head. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Anko smirked. "Well, I was just wanting to say goodbye to my little brat."

"I am not yours," muttered Naruto.

Anko tightly hugged Naruto. "You know you love me!"

Sakura glared at Anko in jealousy while Naruto just sighed in exasperation. "I have to go now Anko-san," he said.

Anko released her hug and draped her arm across his shoulder. "Just be careful, alright gaki? I know you're the Battousai's apprentice and all, but no matter how powerful you are, you're still just a kid. Take care of yourself and don't trust those losers for a second," said Anko as she pointed her finger towards Team 7.

Kakashi growled. "Anko, you're not being very helpful."

Anko glared at Kakashi "Whatever." She than turned towards Naruto and smiled at him. "See ya around gaki!"

The former apprentice of Oroichimaru walked away back into the village.

"Good riddance…fucking snake whore," muttered Kakashi under his breath. He than turned towards his team. "Alright, we're heading to Nami no Kuni. Naruto, you'll take the left side of Tazuna, while Sasuke you will take the right. Sakura you'll take the front and I'll take the back. Let's go," he ordered.

And so Team 7's adventure into Nami no Kuni begins.


	10. Chapter 10

Authors Notes: Ahem, Naruto WILL become more evil after the Wave mission. So don't think I'm going to continue to keep him acting only semi-evil. There's something else that I'm going to warn you readers about. There WILL be romance during the Wave Arc. I think you all know why. ;-) If not, then just look again at the pairing for this story. I'm going to try to write the romance in this story differently from how most romance is written in Naruto fanfics. Keyword being 'try.' I'm not really sure if I'll succeed or not. I kinda wanna make the romance seem similar to how authors write romance between Padme and Anakin in the Star Wars section of this site. I guess whether I'll succeed or not is up to you readers eh? Also, again, there are some things I changed in chapter four. Except instead of telling you all what changes I made, I'll just go ahead and tell you. One of the changes is that Tomoe and Kenshin weren't the only people that he allowed to touch him. There's one more person. If any of you know who I'm talking about, then great, but don't tell anyone. K? Also, the other change is that Naruto actually wore his cloak and straw hat during battle to hide his identity. Oh, and I want to thank RyumaOmega for more of his help and also I want to thank mannyg1218 for a new name for Kakashi that I can use. You'll see what name it is in this chapter. One more thing, I want to thank another reviewer (I can't find his name in my reviews) who alerted me to the faggotry of Naruto letting Sasuke know anything about the Hiten style, even if it's a watered down version. Therefore, I changed that as well to Naruto just teaching him samurai basics of the Japanese style of using a katana. It's simply like teaching someone the academy taijutsu. It's pretty worthless on its own. You'll know more about what I'm talking about later in the story. And there's one more thing I want to say. I'm not trying to make Naruto look cool by having him smoke. I'm just giving him a habit. Also, he has good reason to angst by the way. He's been forced to leave his home and he lost two people who he was very close to. I think I'd feel like shit too if I went through anything like that. Oh, and the omake might suck since it's my first one ever ;-). Have a happy Thanksgiving everybody!

* * *

**_Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 10_**

It was a bright and sunny day as birds singed, insects made their noises, and a gentle breeze made the trees in the forest look like they were moving as their leafs danced in the wind. In the middle of this forest was a dirt path that Tazuna and Team 7 were currently walking on.

At the moment, Naruto was enjoying listening to the sounds of nature all around him without any interruption from the band of idiots he was traveling with. Yes, everyone was actually quiet. However, when they first began their journey, Sakura just wouldn't shut up because she kept asking questions to Tazuna about Nami no Kuni. And some of these questions were stupid because they could be figured out just by just using a little common sense.

For example, Sakura asked Tazuna if the country had ninjas. She should have already realized that if they did have ninjas, then why would Tazuna go all the way to Konohagakure to request a team of ninjas to protect him? It doesn't really take a genius to figure out then that Nami no Kuni doesn't have any shinobi or kunoichi.

It finally took Naruto glaring at Sakura for her to finally shut her mouth. Kakashi noticed the brief interaction and narrowed his one eye at Naruto. The Jounin vowed to speak to the young blond later about scaring his students.

Naruto took special notice of a puddle that they were walking past and immediately got ready to counter an attack. _'Today is very sunny and it seems it hasn't rained in days, so that puddle shouldn't be there. Plus I can sense two ki signatures hidden in that puddle as well. That's where the enemy will likely appear from.' _Naruto thought.

And sure enough, Naruto was right. As soon as everyone walked past the puddle, two Kiri nukenin slowly and silently rose out of it. They targeted Kakashi first since they perceived him as the main threat and because he was at the back of the group. The two of them swiftly ran up to Kakashi and wrapped a spiked chain around him and then pulled on the chain, which resulted in ripping the Jounin to shreds.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shrieked.

The two Kiri shinobi looked towards the rest of the group. Naruto noticed that both attackers had some kind of mask on. He also noticed that both of them wore a clawed gauntlet on one of their hands and the chain they used to 'supposedly' kill Kakashi was connected from one clawed gauntlet to the other between them. Sasuke must have noticed this too, because as soon as the two Kiri nukenin charged towards Naruto, saying something about, "Two down," Sasuke threw a kunai and a shuriken that pinned down the middle part of the chain into a tree.

Sakura and Tazuna had solely focused their attention on Sasuke and the two Kiri ninja for only a second when the Uchiha had threw that kunai, before they noticed that Naruto had simply vanished. It was as if the blond samurai had disappeared as soon as everyone's eyes were completely off of him for only a short time.

"Where did that coward go? He ran away!" Tazuna yelled.

"I…I don't know." Sakura whispered. Her eyes were wide and she was scared to death. Sakura was sure that Sasuke could protect them all. But she also knew that Tazuna and her team had a greater chance of surviving if Naruto was here. He was the unofficial team leader when Kakashi wasn't around. Though she did hope and believe that Sasuke would surpass him someday in both leadership and skill.

Back to the battle, the two Kiri shinobi were trying to get their chain unstuck from the tree. Before anything else could happen though, everybody heard a yell from up above that sounded as if it echoed for miles.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Ryu Tsui Sen!"

Everyone looked up to see a blur way up high in the air that turned out to be Naruto. He was diving quicky towards one of the Kiri missing-nin before he delivered a downward slash to his left shoulder. There was a small crater where Naruto landed. As a result of Naruto's katana, the missing-nin lost his left arm, which as it turns out was the arm that wore a gauntlet.

The Kiri ninja only had a short moment to scream in agony before Naruto did a spin to the right and swung his sword, which he held in his right hand, horizontally towards the man's neck. The shinobi's head came clean off. Blood flew out of the dead man's neck and the body slowly dropped to its knees before falling down completely to the ground.

'_Judging by how they fight and their ki levels, these guys must be Chuunin shinobi.'_ Naruto thought.

"Meizu! No!" the other Kiri missing-nin exclaimed as he disconnected the chain from his gauntlet. He looked away from his fallen comrade and glared hatefully at Naruto. "You little bastard! I'll kill you!" he screamed as he charged headfirst towards Naruto in a fit of rage.

Naruto prepared to finish the living Chuunin nukenin off quickly. However, it was not to be as Kakashi immediately jumped out of a tree and knocked the charging missing-nin out cold.

Everyone was silent. Sakura and Sasuke stared at Naruto in fear and awe. Though Sasuke felt a little irritated since he didn't get show off more because of Naruto interfering. Tazuna just looked at the samurai in disbelief. He had no idea that there were kids that were so skilled at killing people at such a young age, more specifically in regards to killing ninjas. After a moment of staring at Naruto, all three of them suddenly realized that Kakashi was alive! Of course, leave it up to Sakura to state the obvious. "Kakashi-sensei! You're not dead!" she shouted in joy.

Kakashi continued to tie up the only living Kiri missing-nin to a tree before turning towards Sakura and giving her an eye-smile. "Of course Sakura. Did you really have so little faith in your sensei that you believed I would be taken down so easily?"

_'As arrogant as always.'_ Naruto thought. _'Just like the Uchiha.'_

Kakashi turned to look at Sasuke. "Sasuke, good job. You were able to neutralize the threat that chain presented and provided a distraction so that Naruto could catch them by surprise." Sasuke smirked arrogantly, but inside he was still a little pissed that he didn't get to show off and get in on the action like Naruto did.

Kakashi turned his head towards his female student. "Sakura, you guarded Tazuna even in the face of danger. That takes courage and loyalty. You did well." Sakura smiled.

Kakashi then looked at Naruto. "As for you, Naruto, you went overboard with what you did. There was no need for you to interfere. Sasuke could have handled the situation on his own. Also," and here is where Kakashi's voice got harsh as he narrowed his one eye, "don't you ever kill in front of my students again. They don't need to see such things yet. They're still young Genin fresh out of the academy. They didn't grow up the way you did and don't need to. Do I make myself clear?"

"Fine, but just keep in mind that you'll be at fault along with me if anything happens to these kids because you ordered me to hold back when we fight enemies who would kill us with no hesitation. Shinobi like those two nukenin I fought would kill any of us if they could and would lose no sleep over it. Sooner or later the Uchiha and Haruno will have to face the hard cold ground of reality," Naruto said.

"They'll face it when I think they're ready," Kakashi growled. "And besides, as long as I'm around, nothing will happen to them, so there's no need for you to kill in front of them. Understand?"

Naruto sighed. "Sure. Whatever." _'He truly is an idiot in denial,'_ Naruto thought.

"Good," Kakashi said.

At the meantime, while Naruto and Kakashi had ended their argument, Sasuke was pissed. Even though Naruto was the same age as him, he still thought of him as only a kid! How dare he judge an Uchiha that way? Naruto was the deadlast and he himself was an elite Uchiha! And then there was Kakashi. That man was holding back on him. Kakashi apparently didn't think he was ready to kill or see someone be killed even though he was the last survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre.

So Kakashi apparently wasn't planning to teach him anything lethal anytime soon. His sensei just wasn't planning to make him more powerful soon enough. That meant that he would probably have to rely more on what Naruto would teach him.

Sasuke was also a little bitch who was still scared of Naruto, so he wasn't really going to complain to him about his interference in the fight with those two Kiri shinobi.

Sakura agreed with Kakashi that she wasn't ready to see things such as people being killed or doing the killing herself. In fact, she was naïve enough to believe that she could fight in the world of ninjas without ever having to kill. She was actually horrified of seeing a person kill another person. But Sakura did think that Sasuke was ready to see those kinds of things since he was, well, the great Sasuke!

Sasuke came out of his brooding when Sakura asked Kakashi a question. "Kakashi-sensei? How are you still alive? I could have sworn I saw you…," but Sakura never got to finish her words as she saw Kakashi point to the spot where he was supposedly 'ripped to shreds.' She looked towards where he was pointing and realized there were pieces of a log scattered all over the ground.

'_He used a kawarimi…'_ Sakura thought in astonishment.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he too saw the pieces of a log scattered where Kakashi had faked his death and realized how the Jounin did it. He clenched his fists in anger. _'I can't believe I didn't notice it before. He had to point it out to me for me to understand! I fell to such a basic trick!' _And so the Uchiha brooded even more if that's even possible.

Kakashi looked at Tazuna, who was busy staring at the ground. "Tazunua-san…we need to talk," he said.

Tazuna gulped and started to sweat more than he's usually been doing on this mission so far. "About what?"

Kakashi narrowed his one eye at the old drunk. "From what I observed, those nukenin were after you Tazuna-san. They clearly were trying to ambush and eliminate me quickly before killing off the Genins. I believe they finally would have targeted you after getting rid of the rest of us."

"There is also the fact that you looked a lot more nervous and scared when Kakashit mentioned to Sakura that there wouldn't be any foreign ninjas on this mission when she was asking questions. It's pretty obvious that you've been keeping some important secrets from us Tazuna-san," Naruto said.

Kakashi looked annoyed with Naruto calling him 'Kakashit,' but he grudgingly agreed with the samurai. "Naruto...is right. The shinobi that attacked us looked like Kiri Chuunin. They're known to continue fighting no matter what. Our mission was to simply protect you from thieves or gangs." Kakashi took a moment to clear his throat. "This mission is now at least a B-rank. This was supposed to be a simple protection until you finished the bridge. I'm sure you had a reason to lie, but it causes problems when you're not truthful about the mission. As of now, we are operating outside of duties."

Sakura was still a little shaken up from the battle awhile ago and so she decided to voice her opinion. "I don't think we're ready for a mission like this Kakashi-sensei. Let's quit," she said.

Sasuke glared at Sakura while Naruto and Kakashi looked indifferent.

"Wait, at least hear me out!" Tazuna said.

Kakashi looked at Tazuna and nodded. "Go on."

Tazuna sighed. "You're right. I did lie about the mission. It's most likely outside of your duties. It turns out that a super dangerous man is after my life."

"Who?" Kakashi asked.

"You've probably at least heard his name before," Tazuna said. He paused before continuing. "The wealthy shipping magnate. His name is Gato."

Kakashi looked surprised. "Huh? Gatou from that Gatou Company? He's one of the world's few extremely wealthy people," he said.

Tazuna nodded. "Yes. Officially he runs a large shipping company. But secretly he sells drugs and other illegal items, using ninjas and gang members to take over businesses and countries. He's a very nasty man." Tazuna looked up at the sky and paused again before continuing. "It was about a year ago when he set his eyes on Nami no Kuni. Through money and violence, he quickly took control of the country's shipping industry. Gato now has a monopoly on all business traffic in the country. The only thing he fears now is the completion of the bridge that will connect Nami no Kunu to Hi no Kuni."

"So since you're building the bridge, that means you're in the way," Sakura said.

"So those shinobi were hired by Gatou?" Sasuke asked.

Tazuna didn't answer.

"But what I don't understand is if shinobi could be after you, then why did you hide that fact when you hired us?" Kakashi asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Naruto asked in that calm and quiet voice he always used. Everyone looked at him. "This man, Gatou, has obviously drained Nami no Kuni dry. The country must have been poor to begin with if Gatou was able to take it over after just one year. So that means most everyone at that country must be poor. Tazuna-san here just simply couldn't afford a B-rank mission," he said.

Naruto then lit up a cigarette and started smoking it.

Kakashi looked at the old bridge builder. "Is this true Tazuna-san?" he asked.

Tazuna closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, it's true. It's all true."

"I see," Kakashi said.

"Well if you quit the mission now…I definitely will be killed," Tazuna said.

"But…" Kakashi started to say before being interrupted.

"Don't worry about it!" Tazuna said as he laughed. "If I die, my cute ten-year old will just cry for a few days!"

Kakashi and everyone else sweat dropped.

"Oh yeah, and my daughter will live a sad life hating Konoha ninjas forever. But it won't be your fault. Not at all!" Tazuna said.

Kakashi rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Look, let me see what my team's opinion is on this before I make any decision to go forth with this mission or not," he said. Kakashi looked at the three Genin under his command. "We're going to have a vote. Who thinks we should continue and who thinks we should go back to the village?" he asked.

Sasuke was quick to answer. "We should move forward," he said. _'I want to see how far I came in terms of skill.'_

Kakashi nodded and looked at Sakura.

Sakura was biting her bottom lip and looking nervous. She really didn't want to continue. But she didn't want to hold Sasuke back and make him mad at her either. So she decided to be the typical loyal puppy that she's always been to the Uchiha. "I…I think we should continue," she said.

Kakashi then looked at Naruto and waited for his answer.

Naruto finished smoking his cigarette and threw it to the ground before stomping on it. "I think we should go back. We're just Genins, thus technically we're not ready for this type of mission yet."

Sasuke looked annoyed at Naruto's answer while Sakura looked hopeful. But at the same time she was irritated that Naruto was disagreeing with Sasuke, though she wouldn't dare voice it out loud.

Kakashi scoffed. "Don't be ridicules Naruto. You and I know that we're both the strongest members of this little group. You just want to go back to D-rank missions. Well guess what? You've been outvoted…again. And all the rest of the members of our team will be fine. Sasuke is an Uchiha after all and Sakura is…umm…, well…never mind. You get the point," he said.

Sakura looked dejected, but no one really cared.

Kakashi turned around to look at Tazuna. "We'll continue with the mission, but after it's finished, you'll have to pay more money to the village since this mission has been upgraded to a B-rank. Got it?"

Tazuna nodded enthusiastically. "Yes of course!" he said.

The real reason Kakashi was continuing with the mission though was because Sasuke wanted to keep going. Kakashi didn't want to deny anything to the last loyal Uchiha. So even if Sasuke had been outvoted, Kakashi would have continued with the mission regardless. The only opinions that mattered to him are his own and Sasuke's.

Besides, as much as he loathed admitting it, the whole group had a better chance of getting through this mission alive with Naruto being with them. The young samurai was powerful enough to be at Kage level and he himself was at Jounin level. So Kakashi believed everyone would be fine. Though the only lives that truly and sincerely mattered to him were his own and Sasuke's.

Kakashi turned back around to look at the three Genin again. "Now listen, there's a high possibility that there will be a stronger shinobi that will attack us. Most likely the attacker will be at Jounin level. So I want all of you to be completely on your guard, ok?"

Sakura and Sasuke nodded while Naruto just didn't show any signs of acknowledgment of what Kakashi said. He already knew there was a high chance of stronger shinobi attacking them.

"Alright then, let's get going." Kakashi said.

And so the group moved forward.

* * *

Omake:

"Meizu! No!" the other Kiri nukenin exclaimed as he disconnected the chain from his gauntlet. He looked away from his fallen comrade and glared hatefully at Naruto. "You little bastard! I'll kill you!" he screamed as he charged headfirst towards Naruto in a fit of rage.

"Wait!" Naruto yelled as he pointed his finger at the charging nukenin.

The Kiri Chuunin stopped and blinked a couple times in confusion. Weren't they supposed to be in some kind of epic battle?

"Don't you want to know why I killed your partner?" Naruto asked.

The nukenin grounded his teeth together in anger. "Because you're an asshole?" he screamed.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. "I did it…for the lulz," he answered simply.

The Kiri Chuunin once again blinked in confusion. "What?"

Naruto shrugged. "I figured out that trolling in real life is much more fun than on the Internet. Causing massive butthurt to n00bs like yourself gives me quiet the entertainment," he said with a smile.

Now everyone was completely confused.

"What the fuck are you talking about kid?" the nukenin screamed.

Naruto sighed. "Nevermind," he said, before all of a sudden appearing right in front of the guy and vertically slicing him clean in half with his katana.

Naruto lit up a cigarette as he stood over the remains of his latest kill. As a wisp of smoke escaped his lips, there was only one thing the samurai could say.

"Pwned your ass bitch."

End of Omake


	11. Chapter 11

Authors Notes: I forgot to mention in the last chapter that the bridge Tazuna is building connects Fire Country and Wave Country. So, for those not familiar enough with the Naruto anime, well now you know. I already went back to Chapter 10 and added in a mention of what the bridge was connecting. Of course, I do advise that readers of this story have basic knowledge of the Naruto anime. I know there are some things that I didn't describe that would make newbies confused, such as a full description of Cockkakshi. Oh, and I need to know something. Are words like, taijutsu and ninjutsu capitalized? I looked at different sources on the Internet, but some of them have the words in lowercase and others have them in uppercase. It's frusterating. If there is anything you readers think I need to capitalize, please tell me. Anyway, I want to thank ICE-RAIDEN who told me I needed to break up my paragraphs more and add in more dialog. On this chapter, I did try my best to do just that. However, there some paragraphs that I couldn't break into smaller ones. I really did try, but I just couldn't find a way around it. I worked on this chapter through all Thanksgiving and this whole day. Right now, it's almost 1am in the morning for me. I'm tired, so I believe I'm gonna sleep. Later.

* * *

_**Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 11**_

Team Seven and Tazuna had left Hi no Kuni on a boat and were currently traveling on water towards Nami no Kuni. As for the boat rower, he had the motor turned off so they wouldn't be detected by Gatou's men. The guy was just using a sort a long paddle to move the boat.

"This mist is everywhere," Sakura complained. The mist around them was very thick. "I can't see anything." Once again, she had to state the obvious.

"We should see the bridge soon," the boat rower said. "Nami no Kuni is at the base of it."

A few minutes later, they came across an enormous half completed bridge.

"That bridge looks like it will take a few months for it to be complete!" Sakura exclaimed. She and her team would have to guard Tazuna until the bridge would be finished, so that meant this mission would last for months! She did not feel happy about that at all, especially since there was a high possibility of enemy shinobi attacking them.

'_So this is the bridge that will connect Nami no Kuni to Hi no Kuni and bring Tazuna-san's people out of Gatou's clutches,'_ Naruto thought. _'Even if this bridge is under construction, it still looks impressive.'_

"Quiet!" the boat driver hissed at the pink-haired girl. "There's a reason why we're hiding in the mist and not using the engine." He looked back ahead. "We'll all be in big trouble if Gatou finds us."

When the boat finally docked at Nami no Kuni, Team 7 and Tazuna got off and started traveling on a straight and misty path to get to Tazuna's house.

As the group walked, Naruto was sensing a familiar ki signature.

'_It can't be,'_ Naruto thought. _'Is that really her?'_

Naruto concentrated more on the ki signature he was sensing and found that the source of it was coming from a nearby bush, which he noticed moved for a flicker of a second.

'_If that really is her, then she's gotten a little sloppy at stealth,'_ Naruto thought. He decided to act like he didn't sense the hidden person though and kept walking.

The blond samurai wanted to wait to see what this onlooker would do.

Suddenly, Naruto sensed another familiar ki signature up in the trees. Unlike the other ki signature though, this one felt hostile. Like the person belonging to it was preparing to attack.

Naruto quickly took his katana out of his sheath. He didn't even bother to warn the group he was with. He knew Kakashi would be able to alert everyone in time.

Though, Naruto wouldn't mind if the one-eyed Jounin died trying to save Sasuke from the attack that was about to take place. Besides, Kakashi was of no use to him and he really didn't like the prick anyway.

The whole group stared at Naruto in confusion for a second, wondering why he unsheathed his sword, before Kakashi heard the sound of an incoming zanbato blade spinning quickly towards them.

"Get down!" Kakashi screamed. He quickly grabbed Sasuke and hit the dirt while Sakura did the same with the client.

As for Naruto himself, he was the only one still standing.

In the past, Naruto's true sensei had trained him to expand his senses, such as his sense of hearing.

However, Naruto's senses weren't as good as he would have liked. He had trouble using them to detect powerful and highly experienced samurai and ninja who were well hidden. That was mainly his fault though, because he relied too much on his ability to sense ki signatures.

Despite Naruto's weakness, he was still skilled enough to hear the spinning of a big object heading towards him. He quickly turned his body to face the incoming zanbato blade, before knocking it away with his katana higher up into a tree.

A muscled up man, who had no shirt, blue striped pants, and short black spiky hair, suddenly appeared on the hilt of the huge sword. "Not bad kid."

The rest of Team 7 and Tazuna quickly got back on their feet.

"Momochi Zabuza…" Naruto muttered.

Zabuza jumped down to the ground with the zanbato sword in his hand. "So you still remember me, eh Hitokiri Battousai?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I am not the Hitokiri Battousai," he said. "I was just his apprentice."

Zabuza gave a sinister chuckle. "That's not what the newest edition of the Bingo Book stated," he said. "Konohagakure may not keep tabs on Japan anymore, but that doesn't mean other shinobi villages don't as well."

Zabuza looked amused. "Himura Naruto, given the title of Hitokiri Battousai by Japan's emperor," he said. "Congratulations gaki."

Everyone, except Zabuza, looked surprised. He noticed this and smirked. "Oh? None of you knew?" he asked. "It seems Copy Ninja Kakashi and his little wannabe ninjas don't even fully know who they're traveling with."

Kakashi told Sakura and Sasuke to get behind him and guard Tazuna before addressing Zabuza. "What do you mean about what the Bingo Book says?"

Zabuza hefted his huge blade upon his right shoulder and shrugged. "It's not surprising that none of you know about this since the newest edition of the bingo book just came out this morning."

Zabuza grinned beneath the white bandages covering the lower half of his face.

"But every ninja village, and I mean every…single…one of them, except for Konohagakure, have that boy listed as an S-Class enemy with a huge ass bounty on his head," Zabuza said. "They all want him dead."

Naruto's eyes widened while the rest of Team 7 gasped.

"No way…" Sasuke whispered.

'_What the hell did he do?'_ Sakura thought.

"Shit!" Kakashi cursed. "Even Sunagakure?"

Zabuza roared in laughter. "Of course!"

Kakashi growled. "So, Suna would even risk breaking its alliance with us just to make sure one of our most important shinobi is killed," he said to himself. "But why? Why would Suna and the rest of the shinobi villages list Naruto in the Bingo Book as an S-Class shinobi?"

Zabuza shook his head. "I'm disappointed Kakashi," he said. Kakashi snapped his head up to look at him. "You're supposed to be hailed as a genius, yet you can't even figure out something this simple."

The one-eyed Jounin glared at Zabuza. "You're lying," Kakashi said in denial. Though, he clearly couldn't see any signs of lying coming from the man. "A shinobi village wouldn't put an individual in the Bingo Book for no good reason," he said. "Especially Suna."

Zabuza once again gave another sinister chuckle before tossing a copy of the latest Bingo Book to Kakashi. "See for yourself," he said.

Kakashi quickly skimmed through the pages before his eye widened in shock. "Every section in here for each shinobi village has him listed as an S-Class shinobi to be killed on site."

And it was true. Each entry of Naruto in the Bingo Book had two pictures of him. One was a picture of him with his cloak and hat on. The other was a picture of him in just his samurai outfit.

Kakashi reached the section for Sunagakure and his face went white as a sheet. "Even Sunagakure," he said. He was in so much shock that the copy of the Bingo Book slipped from his fingers and fell to ground. "I don't understand."

Zabuza turned his head towards Naruto. "At the age of only twelve, this kid is already at Kage level," he said. "No one in the known history of the shinobi world has ever reached that kind of power at such a young age."

The Jounin nukenin grinned ruefully beneath his bandages. "His sensei, Himura Kenshin, was so powerful that he was classified by the shinobi world as the third man to ever be above Kage level," he said. "The second being the Yondaime Hokage and the first being the Sage of Six Paths."

Kakashi looked irritated. "What does that have to do with anything?" he snarled.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes at Naruto, but it was clear he was still speaking to Kakashi. "If the current Hitokiri Battousai is this powerful at such a young age, imagine how powerful he'll be when he's an adult," he said. "Since Konohagakure has him in their possession, the other villages feel threatened by him."

The nukenin finally looked at Kakashi. "The shinobi villages, especially Iwa and Kumo, are apparently uncomfortable about Konoha possessing someone who surely has enough potential to be more powerful someday than even the Yondaime Hokage and the first Battousai."

Understanding dawned on Kakashi. "The other shinobi villages want to make sure he's dead before he reaches his full potential."

Zabuza nodded his head. "That's right," he said. "And to make him even more of a threat, according to the Bingo Book, he's also the Jinchuuriki, or what most would call the container, for the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Kakashi sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, the Yondaime sealed the fox into Naruto when he was just a baby," he said. _'Sakura and Sasuke would have figured it out sooner or later after what Zabuza just said,'_ Kakashi thought. _'It's not surprising that the demon's status as a Jinchuuriki would be known to other villages.'_

Sasuke's eyes were so wide it looked as if they would fall out of their sockets. _'So that's the main source of Naruto's power,'_ he thought. _'Wait, it could be a second power he has.' _Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blond. _'But is he so strong on his own or because of the Kyuubi?'_

Sakura at first felt confused. She thought the Kyuubi was killed by Konoha's Yondaime. But when the words of Zabuza and Kakashi fully sunk in, and it all made sense; she started glaring at Naruto with hatred in her eyes.

'_He's the demon that killed most of my family,'_ Sakura thought furiously. _'That bastard…' _She clenched her hands so tight that they started to bleed.

As for Naruto, he wasn't concerned about what Sasuke and Sakura thought of him. He knew that the Uchiha would just be more interested in his power. As for what Sakura would think of him, he didn't care. The Uchiha would still follow him, so Sakura would do so too.

Even if the pink-haired bitch hated his guts, she was still a loyal puppy to the Uchiha.

Zabuza pointed his sword at Tazuna. "Now, you have two choices Kakashi," he said. "You can either hand over the old man or," he pointed his sword at Naruto, "Konoha's little weapon can die in its early stages, along with yourself, your Genin, and the old man."

Sasuke started to charge at Zabuza, but Kakashi held him back. "No Sasuke! Guard Tazuna," he ordered. "He's out of your league."

Sasuke looked angrily at Kakashi but reluctantly did what he was told.

The Jounin of Team 7 focused his full attention back on Zabuza. "You must be very arrogant if you think you can take on a team of ninjas with not just a Jounin, but also a person that is at Kage level," he said. "Leave now and you won't die here."

Zabuza gave a cruel laugh. "There's one problem with that Kakashi," he said. "The Battousai won't go all out on me, so that means he can't win." Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "And believe me; he'll have to go all out to win."

"And why is that?" Kakashi asked.

Zabuza ignored Kakashi's question and looked at Naruto. "Kid, you know that if you kill or permanently injure me, she will be really crushed," he said. "That girl will probably hate you forever."

Naruto's jaw dropped slightly, before he took a deep breath to calm himself. "I have to admit, you're using a pretty effective tactic despite how low it is."

Zabuza stabbed his sword in the ground in front of him. "Well, I'm a shinobi, not a samurai," he said. "What did you expect?"

"How…how is she?" Naruto asked in a softer voice.

Zabuza smirked. "Your girlfriend is still a perfect tool just like you are," he said. "She misses you everyday kid." He then rolled his eyes. "It's always Naruto-kun this and Naruto-kun that. Don't get me wrong. She's still a quiet girl, but your name is mentioned almost every time she speaks."

A barely visible blush appeared on Naruto's face as he glared at Zabuza. "Like I've told you before, me and her are just best friends," the blond samurai said. "And she's more than just a tool. She's certainly much more a greater person than you'll ever be."

"Hahahah, you got that right gaki!" Zabuza exclaimed. "It won't be too long until that girl completely surpasses me." He smirked arrogantly. "Her potential even matches yours."

"Oh, by the way," Zabuza said, "I don't think people who are just friends hold hands all the time or cuddle together while sleeping."

The blush on Naruto's face increased in intensity.

"Naruto, how do you know this A-Class Kiri nukenin?" Kakashi asked. "And who is this girl you two are talking about?"

Naruto was fixing to answer Kakashi, but Zabuza interrupted. "Listen kid, it doesn't have to be this way."

Naruto blinked in confusion.

Zabuza continued. "Join me, and you and her can be together forever," he said. "With your power and potential combined with hers, we can take over Kirigakure and live like royalty. I don't know why you joined Konoha, but you can certainly gain a lot more if you stick with me." He grinned. "So what do ya say?"

By now, the rest of Team 7 and Tazuna were really nervous. If Naruto chose to switch sides, then they had no chance of even making it out of this situation alive.

The young samurai closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "You honestly believe I joined Konoha willingly Zabuza-san?" he asked. "If I had chosen to not join them, then the country I fought for in tears, sweat, and blood would have been destroyed."

For the first time so far, Zabuza was the one that was shocked. "What?"

Naruto continued. "Because of the Bakumatsu no Doran, Japan's military is very weak," he said. "They would not be able to overcome invasion forces from Konoha and its allies if I was to abandon the Leaf village."

The blond samurai lit up a cigarette before he continued to speak. "Besides, Konoha would send out a whole army of hunter-nin to track me down to either kill or capture me," he said. "So, I would have to worry about ninja from Konoha being after me along with ninja from the other villages who want me dead. That would put you and her in greater danger if I traveled with you two."

The Battousi finally opened his eyes and stared at Zabuza. "I'm sorry, but despite what I want…" he said. "I can't join you."

At that moment, Kakashi was looking very smug as he smirked in victory under his mask.

Zabuza nodded in understanding, before he got into a fighting stance. "I'm sorry too gaki," he said. "I can tell you would join me and her in a heartbeat if it wasn't for the shit you're burdened with."

Zabuza looked grave before he spoke again. "I'll make your death painless and put you out of your misery kid," he said. "I just wish you had more of a choice though on choosing to either live or die."

"You know she'll also be hurt if you end my life Zabuza-san," Naruto said.

"That's true," Zabuza said. "But no matter how hurt she'll be after I kill you, her loyalty to me will remain unbreakable just as it has always been," he said. "Face it kid, if she had to choose between my side and yours, I would be the winner."

"Enough talking," Naruto commanded in a deathly whisper. "Let us finish this."

"Fine with me," Zabuza said. He charged at Naruto and right when he reached the samurai, he swung his huge sword at him.

But, before Naruto could block Zabuza's blade, Kakashi got in front of him and blocked the huge sword.

The Jounin was really straining himself against the massive zanbato with just a kunai.

"Naruto, help your teammates guard Tazuna," Kakashi ordered. "There may be more enemy shinobi hidden around here somewhere, so Zabuza could just be a distraction."

Zabuza was surprised again. _'Teammates?'_ he thought as he looked at Sasuke and Sakura. _'So Konoha has him ranked as a Genin despite his skills.'_

Kakashi pushed Zabuza's sword back a little. "I can handle this guy," he said to his most powerful Genin. "If I somehow fail though, then it's your job to take him down."

Naruto nodded before heading over to Tazuna in order to guard him. Hopefully, the Uchiha loving teacher would be killed, so then he wouldn't be blamed for anything. He told him to withdraw after all, so he was just following orders.

'_Shit,'_ Zabuza thought. _'I was planning on killing the Battousai first, and then my weapon and I could gain up on Kakashi.'_ He frowned. _'It's going to be hard for her to help me defeat the Battousai after I finish Kakashi off.'_ Zabuza sighed. _'I just hope she can do it.'_

Zabuza suddenly got pissed! He did not like other people interfering with his battles. Not…at…all. He was a lot more interested in fighting the new Battousai than some copycat.

Finally, after a few seconds of struggling, Zabuza pushed Kakashi back.

"Get out of the way!" Zabuza snarled. "My fight is with the Battousai."

Kakashi glared at Zabuza. "Your fight is with me now," he whispered. "You won't live to face the demon brat."

Zabuza laughed. "Fine then," he said. "You'll make a decent challenge anyway. After I kill you, I'll have my fight with the Battousai."

Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate that was slanted over his left eye. The eye itself was red and had three comma marks circling around the pupil.

"Oh…I get to witness the famous Sharingan," Zabuza said in a mocking voice. "It's such an honor."

Sasuke was surprised for what he felt like was the tenth time today. _'Why does he have the Sharingan?_' he thought.

Kakashi, being the arrogant dumbass that he is like most people from Konoha are, thought that Zabuza was serious when he said it was an honor. "Yes, you should be quiet honored," Kakashi said. "I don't reveal my Sharingan eye very often."

"You know, you're in the Bingo Book as well," Zabuza said. "It said that you copied over a thousand jutsus," he said. "Though, you're not as notorious in the Bingo Book as that blond gaki you're traveling with."

Zabuza smirked. "Now let's begin."

And so, Zabuza and Kakashi got locked into an intense Jounin fight. There was quite a bit of deception, jutsus, psychological warefare, and killing intent. The Genin, except for Naruto, were quite amazed at the power and skill being displayed.

However, the mist was real thick and heavy because of a jutsu Zabuza used to create it at the start of the battle.

There was one time during the Jounin fight though that Naruto had to take action. It was when Zabuza had appeared in the middle of the group of Genins guarding Tazuna.

Before the Kiri nukenin could even swing his sword, Naruto had vertically sliced him in half. Just as he thought though, the Zabuza he killed was only a water clone.

At the end of their epic fight, Zabuza was standing on a lake after he used a jutsu to trap Kakashi in some sort of water ball. But the disadvantage to this jutsu was that the user had to hold it with his or her hand.

Therefore, Zabuza had to stay where he was while holding Kakashi in a water prison or else the Leaf Jounin would escape.

"Now to take care of the brats," Zabuza said. He looked towards the Genin, but instantly noticed something was wrong. "Wait a second!" he said. "Where the hell is the Battousai?"

For some reason, Naruto was nowhere to be found. Zabuza could only see two Genin guarding that old man.

'_I'll have a water clone to deal with the Genins,'_ Zabuza thought. _'That will probably draw the Battousai out since he's probably under orders to protect them.'_

So, the Kiri nukenin made a few hand seals and a water clone formed out of some of the water from the lake.

Zabuza looked at the two Genin guarding Tazuna. "Heh, you two gakis wearing hitai-ates and pretending to be real ninjas," he said. "But you know what? A real ninja is someone who has survived many brushes with death."

The water clone began walking like a predator towards the Genins until it was only a few feet away from them and out of the water.

"When you're good enough to be listed in the Bingo Book, then you can call yourself a ninja," Zabuza said. "Even the Battousai, who is actually a samurai, is more of a real ninja than you two."

Sasuke snapped after hearing what Zabuza just said and charged at him.

"No, Sasuke!" Kakashi screamed. "Stop!"

"Get him Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled.

But the little Uchiha didn't listen to his sensei or his little personal cheerleader. Therefore, he paid for his insolence when he was kicked in the face hard by Zabuza's water clone.

Sasuke went flying back until he landed on the ground next to Sakura and Tazuna. The kick was so hard that his hitai-ate had flew off and landed on the ground next to the feet of Zabuza's water clone.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried.

Zabuza's water clone stomped its right foot hard on Sasuke's hitai-ate.

"Nothing but a gaki," Zabuza said.

Kakashi yelled to Sasuke and Sakura that he wanted them to take Tazuna and get out of there. He also told them that Zabuza's water clone couldn't go very far from the Kiri nukenin's real body.

'_If Naruto isn't with Sasuke and Sakura, then he must be preparing to ambush Zabuza,'_ Kakashi thought. _'If he abandons us though, then either the Leaf or other villages will hunt him down and Japan will be invaded.' _Kakashi smirked. _'Even if we all die, Konoha or another village will find out he's alive sooner or later and conclude that he turned traitor to his village. So, it's most likely that he's planning to ambush Zabuza.' _

Sasuke suddenly turned around and started to make a run for it. As usual, Sakura followed his lead. Even the Uchiha knew when to cut his losses. Yes, he finally got it through his thick head that maybe he wasn't a match for Zabuza and if he stayed to fight, then he would die.

As for Tazuna, he was left to fend for himself. Sakura and Sasuke weren't going to risk their lives for some old drunk. However, the two Genin were only able to take a few steps before Zabuza's water clone was in front of them.

'_He moved so fast!'_ Sasuke thought.

The water clone punched Sasuke in the stomach, thus knocking him out, before bitch slapping Sakura across the face.

Both of them hit the ground hard.

Zabuza laughed. "Not only are they weak little kids, but they're also cowards," he said. "No wonder Konoha wants the Battousai so bad if this is the new generation of its ninjas."

Kakashi glared at Zabuza. _'That demon brat better hurry!' _he thought.

The water clone walked towards Tazuna who was shaking in fear.

"Looks like you pissed off the wrong person," the water clone said to Tazuna. "Maybe in the next life, you'll be more careful."

The water clone swung it's sword at Tazuna's neck, but it was instantly blocked by a katana. The clone only had a millisecond to realize that it was Naruto who blocked him, before it was quickly sliced in half.

The clone turned back into water.

"Heh, I knew you would show yourself if I attacked Tazuna and the brats," Zabuza said.

Before Zabuza could say any more, five shadow clones of Naruto jumped out of the water around him and attacked with taijutsu.

But, the clones weren't even able to touch Zabuza. They were all killed by his zanbato sword. When he killed the last shadow clone though, which was in front of him, a pillar of spinning water, which was the size of a human fist, came straight through the smoke that was given off by the clone's disbursement.

Zabuza was only able to see the pillar of water heading towards him at the last second because it was behind the last shadow clone he killed. It was also hidden behind that smoke. He knew though that the water attack came from Naruto's direction.

'_Damnit,'_ Zabuza thought.

The Kiri nukenin barely avoided the attack by jumping over the pillar of water that was aiming towards his stomach. He still kept physical contact with his water prison though.

Just when Zabuza thought he was safe, an enormous pillar of water, barely big enough to engulf a human being, shot out from beneath him while he was still in the air.

The huge pillar of water hit Zabuza hard and carried him high into the air. The top half of it then bent horizontally and headed towards some trees. Zabuza was sent flying through a few of them before he finally was smashed against one. He only blacked out from the pain for a few seconds, but he awoke a little later when he felt his arms and legs get stabbed once by a sword.

Now Zabuza couldn't even move his limbs and his ribs were shattered. He felt like every bone in his body was broken.

The ex-Kiri shinobi began coughing up blood, which leaked out of the bandages upon his face. Slowly, he raised his head to see the Hitokiri Battousai, who was very wet, standing over him.

"H-how?" Zabuza whispered weakly.

"Most of my plan was full of distractions," Naruto said. "When I killed your water clone, I was serving as a distraction."

Naruto took out a cigarette and lit it up before he started smoking.

"When my five shadow clones jumped out of the water and surrounded you before attacking, well, that was also a distraction," Naruto said. "And the first water attack I used served as a distraction and to get you to jump in the air." He tilted his head. "I wanted you in the air so you wouldn't feel, with your feet, the huge pillar of water coming up beneath you. And you wouldn't be able to dodge it either."

Zabuza slowly nodded his head before a thought occurred to him. "Wait, but I know that you were standing in front of those brats and Tazuna," he said. "How then, could you have been beneath me in the lake to launch your second water attack? I doubt your shadow clones could do all the kind of stuff you do with your sword."

Naruto shrugged. "There was a shadow clone beneath you that didn't attack with the others," he said. "I simply used a kawarimi to switch myself with that specific shadow clone right after I launched my first water technique."

Zabuza chuckled weakly. "So, you've gotten good at combining your samurai and shinobi skills," he said. "I didn't factor that in my plan to defeat you."

"Yes, but I'm still only barely Kage level," Naruto said.

Zabuza nodded. "That's still pretty impressive gaki," he said. "So, what happens now?"

"Now, you die," a voice said behind Naruto.

The Battousai turned around to see Kakashi behind him.

Zabuza once again coughed up some blood, but he stayed silent.

Kakashi walked over to Zabuza and pulled out a kunai. He was going to stab the Kiri nukenin in the neck.

Kakashi didn't know though, that at that moment, he was making a grave mistake by turning his back on Naruto.

As if by instinct, Naruto's grip on his katana tightened and he found himself preparing to strike Kakashi down. He could not allow this prick to kill Zabuza. That would really hurt…her. For some reason, he just couldn't keep himself from risking everything when he had little time to decide to either kill Kakashi and deal with the consequences of doing so or allow what little happiness and sanity a certain girl has to be ruined.

However, Naruto did not need to make a decision. Two senbon needles suddenly pierced Zabuza's neck.

The wounded nukenin instantly went limp, and looked dead, but his eyes were still wide open.

A slim and masked ninja appeared beside Zabuza's body. This individual was wearing a navy blue yukata with light tan trimmings and a brown high collared shirt with long sleeves. The outfit was complete with a brown obi belt tied around the waist and a pair of some sort of hakama pants that reached just above the ankles.

"Thank you for defeating Momochi Zabuza," the masked ninja said before giving a short bow. "I have been waiting for the right moment to kill him for quite awhile now." The person then stared at Naruto.

'_She's probably hoping that I play along,'_ Naruto thought. _'And of course, I'll do just that. For her…' _He looked more closely at the masked kunoichi. _'Even after all these years, on the battlefield, she still keeps her hair in a bun and has two thick stands of hair that fall down at the sides of her face.'_

"You're welcome," Naruto said. "We'll leave you to your business."

"Wait," Kakashi said. "You're a Kiri hunter-nin."

"Yes, that is correct," the hunter-nin said. "I hunt down nukenins and am part of Kirigakure's hunter-nin forces."

"I see," Kakashi said. He bent down beside Zabuza's body and checked his pulse. "Yes, he's definitely dead alright."

The hunter-nin nodded before taking Zabuza's arm and slinging it over her shoulder. "I will dispose of the body now," she said. "Farewell."

And so the hunter-nin and Zabuza's corpse disappeared in a whirl of wind.

Kakashi sighed heavily. "Well, I don't know about any of you guys, but I'm tired." He turned around and walked towards Tazuna and the rest of Team 7. "Come on Naruto, we need get to Tazuna's house."

Naruto nodded and took one last look at the spot where the 'supposed' hunter-nin was last seen.

'_I hope we can see each other again soon, under better circumstances…Haku-chan.'_

* * *

Second Authors Notes: I just want to say something real quick. I know that I didn't give a real good description of Haku's pants. But, I looked everywhere, and I meant everywhere, on the Internet for the name of the kind of pants Haku wears. I couldn't find anything, so I just tried to describe them the best I could. I know the pants are not completley a hakama. If anyone knows the name for those kind of pants, feel free to tell me in either a review or a pm, and I'll make a change to the description in the story I gave regarding her pants. Ok, that's all, later for real. ;-)


	12. Chapter 12

Authors Notes: Hey guys. Look, I was going to finish writing chapter 12 a few weeks ago, but during Thanksgiving my cousin really got me hooked on the South Park website, "." I never realized how awesome that show was until I seen more episodes of it. I think my favorite two episodes of season 13 were, "Butters Bottom Bitch," and, "Dances with Smurfs." I advise anyone who has seen little of South Park or not seen it at all to go check out that website. That show is freakin hilarious. Anyway, I wish you all a happy holiday. However, I will try to release chapter 13 on Christmas day as a gift to all my readers. Keyword being 'try.' Oh, and has anyone saw that Avatar movie yet? That was a good movie. I think my favorite part in it was the epic fight at the end between Jake Sully and that Colonel guy. It was badass. However, I will say that there was still plenty of room for approvement in regards to that movie. Anyway, enjoy the story folks!

Oh, and one more thing that I forgot to mention in this story. I already made the change in earlier chapters, but I suppose I'll mention it here for those of you who have already read the previous chapters. Ok, here it is: Naruto's sugegasa hat also has strips of paper and little bells hanging from the edges. Just thought I'd clear that up!

* * *

**_Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 12_**

It took an hour for Team 7 to finally reach a small and shabby looking house that was built on a little dock surrounded by water. A small walkway connected the dock to the shore of the land Team 7 walked on.

This was Tazuna's home.

When Team 7 and Tazuna walked up to the front door of his residence, Kakashi knocked on it. He was still carrying the hitai-ate that Sasuke had almost lost in the battle against Zabuza. As for Sasuke himself, Sakura had gladly volunteered to carry him, since she did not trust Naruto for such a task given her belief that he was the Kyuubi.

The door opened to reveal a woman, probably in her twenties, with long black hair and coal black eyes. She was wearing a short-sleeved pink shirt with a red collar and a plain blue skirt that reached her knees.

Tazuna, who was at the back of the group, smiled at the woman. "Hey, I'm back!"

The woman let out a sigh of relief and smiled before rushing to Tazuna and giving him a crushing hug. "Father!" she yelled. "I'm so glad you're ok!"

Tazuna laughed in joy as he hugged his daughter and spun her around while she tightly held onto him.

After a minute, Tazuna and his daughter released each other and the old man turned around to address Team 7. "Everyone, this is my daughter, Tsunami."

Tazuna then turned his head towards his daughter and spoke to her. "These are the super awesome ninjas that I hired to protect me on my way over here."

Tsunami looked at Team 7. "Thank you all so much for escorting my father," she said. "You all must be tired and hungry. Please come inside and rest. I will make a meal for all of you."

And so, Team 7, Tazuna, and Tsunami went inside the house to eat and rest.

A few hours later, Team 7 and everyone else sat down to the meal that Tsunami had prepared for them. The food wasn't much though, due to the state of Nami no Kuni, but it was better than nothing.

Just when everyone began to eat, a little boy, with a fisherman's hat on his head, came into the house from outside and proceeded to sit down with everyone to eat. He had quite a sad look on his face, but was confused about who the members of Team 7 were since he's never seen them before.

"Inari, these are the ninjas that I hired to keep me safe until the bridge is complete," Tazuna said, before he addressed Team 7. "Hey guys, this is my grandson, Inari."

Sakura said hello, in a subdued voice, to the little kid, while Kakashi gave him a little wave. But Naruto and Sasuke just stared at the boy for a few seconds, before going back to eating their food.

Inari only glared at the ninjas, before he began to pick at his food.

"All of you are going to die," Inari said to the Leaf ninjas. "There is no way any of you stand a chance against Gatou."

Everyone, except Naruto, stopped eating as Sasuke and Sakura glared at Inari for his comment. However, Kakashi and Naruto didn't seem fazed by it at all. Kakashi just gave Inari a brief stare while Naruto only continued to eat.

"Inari!" Tsunami scolded. She was shocked by his words.

Inari ignored the glares coming from Sakura and Sasuke and his mother's words. He just went back to picking at his food.

After a tense silence, everyone continued to eat their meal, except for Sakura who just stared at her food. After a few minutes went by, she abruptly stood out of her chair and glared at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei," she said in a voice full of fury. "I have some questions for you!"

Everyone, except Naruto, stopped eating again and stared at Sakura.

Kakashi looked curiously at the pink-haired girl. "What is it Sakura?"

Sakura's face scrunched up in anger and she pointed her finger at Naruto. "How come you never told me that this…this monster was the Kyuubi?" she screeched. "Why did I not know that I was on the same team with the filthy demon that killed most of my family?"

Tazuna and his family were shocked and confused at the pink-haired girl's outburst.

Kakashi narrowed his eye at Sakura. "We will talk about that later Sakura," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

But Sakura was not going to accept such an answer so easily.

The kunoichi of Team 7 slammed her hands down on the table and snarled. "No!" she screamed. "We will talk about this right now!"

"I am the one that is in command here Sakura!" Kakashi scolded. "And when I say we will talk about this later, then that is what is going to happen…whether you like it or not." His voice was harsh and left no room for argument. He was giving a direct order. "Now is there anything else you have to ask me?" he asked in a more quiet voice.

Sakura huffed and glared at her sensei for a few seconds before slowly sitting back down on her chair. "Yes," she finally said through clenched teeth. "Who was the masked kid that took Zabuza's body away?"

Kakashi closed his eye and sat back more in his chair in a relaxed manner. "The kind of mask that kid had is worn by Kirigakure's special hunter-nin forces," he answered. "They are also called, Body Erasers."

"Body Erasers?" Sakura questioned.

Kakashi nodded. "Their purpose is to completely dispose of the body without any evidence that it had ever even existed," he said. "A ninja's body has secrets of the village that an enemy could acquire."

Sakura nodded in understanding.

"When hunter-nins eliminate and dispose of the nukenin who have abandoned their village, they keep critical information from getting into the wrong hands," Kakashi explained. "So, basically they are guardians of their village's secrets."

(Elsewhere in Nami no Kuni)

"Shit Haku!" Zabuza said weakly. "Why do you and your boyfriend have to cause me so much pain? Those needles really hurt!"

Haku was knelt down by Zabuza as he lay on the ground in a small clearing within a forest. The Kiri nukenin couldn't even move at all, mostly because Naruto had stabbed his limbs at certain spots with his katana, so Haku had to pull the needles out of his neck for him. She also had to cut through the bandages covering his mouth so he could cough up blood properly.

"Forgive me Zabuza-sama, but it was the only way," Haku pleaded as she began treating his wounds. "I had to aim at your neck since it had the easiest acupuncture for me to hit."

Zabuza looked off into the sky as if he was deep in thought. "Well Haku, your boyfriend is going to make our task a little more difficult," he said. "What is the damage he did to me?"

Haku looked at the ground. "You have several broken ribs along with some internal injuries Zabuza-sama," she responded. "Also, you have severe stab wounds on your arms and legs." She then turned her eyes towards him. "Overall, you are not going to be able to fight for at least a month."

Haku once again looked at the ground. "In addition, because of the needles I hit you with; you will need an extra week to recover. I am sorry."

Zabuza sighed. "That boy is getting to be as dangerous as his deceased sensei," he said. "I assume he knew who you were when you came to retrieve me?"

Haku nodded. "Yes Zabuza-sama, but he hadn't said anything to the ninjas he was with," she said. "He went along with my story about being a Kiri hunter-nin."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes at Haku. "You truly are the key to us succeeding Haku," he said. "He could have killed or permanently injured me, but he didn't."

Zabuza suddenly smirked. "All because of you."

Haku said nothing and just stared at Zabuza.

"Even with that advantage though, I still failed," Zabuza said. "But next time, you and I will succeed in killing him. And then that bridge builder will die." He struggled to clench his fists in determination.

"What about the Jounin and his subordinates?" Haku asked quietly.

Zabuza was silent for a moment before he spoke. "We will handle them somehow," he said. "Tell me Haku, if it ever came down to it, would you be able to help me kill the Battousai?"

Haku inhaled deeply before she let out a shaky breath behind her mask, as if she was starting to cry. "I…I don't know Zabuza-sama."

Zabuza sighed in frustration. "That is not a good answer Haku."

"I…I am s-sorry Za-Zabuza-sama," Haku stuttered.

"You have never disobeyed or failed me before," Zabuza said with a stern voice "Don't start now. We need that money Gatou will pay us."

Zabuza then spat out some blood. "I already tried to convince that boy to join us. You heard what he said." His voice then became a little quieter. "We have no choice but to eliminate him, if we are to kill that bridge builder in order to get the money we need from Gatou."

Haku bowed her head all the way to the ground. "Please Zabuza-sama, let me talk to Naruto-kun!" she pleaded. "I am confident that I can at least convince him to not get in our way!"

The poor girl sounded as if she was fixing to start sobbing.

"You really believe that you can succeed where I have failed Haku?" Zabuza questioned.

"I just know he will listen to me Zabuza-sama," Haku said with complete determination. "I just know it."

Zabuza was quiet for half a minute before he spoke. "Fine," he said.

Haku sighed in relief before Zabuza continued to speak. "You will have a few months to convince your little boyfriend to stay out of our battle against the rest of the Konoha ninjas," he said. "During these few months, you and I will train hard, when we can, to prepare for our upcoming battle with them."

Zabuza looked up at the sky again before he continued. "The other, and main, reason we will be training hard is in case you are not able to sway the Battousai to stand aside."

Haku nodded. "I understand Zabuza-sama," she said. "Thank you very much."

"I don't think your task is going to be easy though, even if it's you who will be trying to convince him," Zabuza said. "He is apparently being forced to serve Konoha, so he can keep Japan safe. Not only that, but if he betrays the Leaf, then he will be tracked down by a lot of their hunter-nins. Then he will also have less protection against the other villages that want him dead."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed in thought before he continued. "The Battousai is trapped in a quiet a corner."

Haku nodded her head again. "I will find some way to help him and ourselves Zabuza-sama," she said. "I just need some time."

"Well, I hope you do find a way for our sake Haku," Zabuza answered. "And I hope that a few months will be enough. It won't be too long until that bridge is complete."

"It will be enough," Haku whispered. "It will be…"

(Back at Tazuna's House)

Everyone finished eating right after Tazuna just got done telling his family of what happened to him and the group of ninjas he traveled with since his trip from Konoha back to the house they were all in.

Tsunami looked at Naruto with astonishment and fear. "So…you really killed a powerful ninja and then defeated even a stronger one?" she asked. "But…you are so young…."

Naruto shrugged. "The one I killed was just a Chuunin, but not a powerful one," he answered. "And I'm sure that Kakashi could have handled the stronger one just as well as I could."

Kakashi narrowed his eye at Naruto and wondered if the blond was being sarcastic about that last comment.

Tazuna laughed. "Don't be so modest kid!" he exclaimed. "What you did was incredible!"

"It's only because he's a demon!" Sakura snarled as she glared hatefully at Naruto. "And I'll tell you something else about him…"

Sasuke kicked Sakura's ankle hard underneath the table. When she fearfully turned her attention towards him, he glared at her. She instantly knew then to shut her mouth.

Sasuke was afraid that Sakura was going to start spilling information that Naruto had given to him and her in the past, such as the fact that he actually interacted with his older brother before. She could even start telling Kakashi of how Naruto had beaten her up after their first team meeting.

Sasuke could not afford for Naruto to get into major trouble. He needed the blond to train him. That certainly could not happen if Naruto was in a cell. Even if Naruto was just taken off Team 7, then that would most likely mean that there would be less time for Naruto to train him.

Of course, Naruto knew Sasuke would act this way. That was why he wasn't worried about Sakura. Sasuke would do all the work for him in regards to keeping her quiet.

"Sakura…" Kakashi said in a warning tone of voice. Normally, he would agree with Sakura's statement. But in front of Naruto, he had to act like he didn't hate him. He couldn't even tell Sakura and Sasuke in private about how he really felt about the blond because there would always be a chance that they would tell Naruto, even if he had told them to keep it a secret.

Sasuke may tell Naruto because of his loyalty to the blond, which Kakashi disapproved of, or Sakura may tell Naruto because she wanted to hurt him in some way. She also seemed to have a big mouth.

And if Naruto ever told the Hokage that Kakashi hated him, then the Hokage would be very displeased. The Leaf Jounin had to try his best to at least keep the blond from even being suspicious of how he truly felt towards him. Though, the key word is 'try.'

"Naruto-san, is it true that you are the Kyuubi?" Tsunami asked. "How is that possible?" She seemed confused regarding the blond samurai ever since Sakura's outburst about him being the Kyuubi.

By now, Tsunami, Tazuna and Inari were staring wearily at the blond samurai. They were just confused about Naruto, but were sure he had a perfectly logical explanation.

Kakashi was just about to answer Tsunami's question, before Naruto spoke. "Sakura is just a dumb gaki," he said as if that was just a fact. "She is not the most reliable person to come to for information on such things. In fact, she is probably the last person you would want to receive advice from on anything."

Before Kakashi could reprimand Naruto though for his insult towards Sakura, the blond continued. "Twelve years ago, a gigantic demon, known as the Kyuubi no Kitsune, headed straight towards Konohagakure," he said. "Many of Konoha's ninjas had died trying to prevent the demon from reaching their precious village and destroying it."

Naruto was about to pull out a cigarette and light it up, as if by instinct, but he held back since there was a high possibility that Tsunami and her family wouldn't appreciate smoking in their house. Though, he wouldn't have cared if they would mind or not if they were from Konoha.

However, since Tazuna and his family were in fact not people from Konohagakure or even Hi no Kuni, Naruto would be more sincerely polite to them.

The blond samurai cleared his throat before he continued his story. "Just when all hope seemed lost for Konoha, the Yondaime Hokage appeared before the great beast. After an epic battle between the two, the man sacrificed his life to defeat the demon."

"But…what does that have to do with you?" Inari asked. The little boy looked very confused.

Naruto turned his head to look at Inari. "The Sandaime Hokage had the people of the Leaf who weren't old enough to remember that night, including most people outside of Konoha, to believe that the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Naruto turned his eyes towards Sasuke and Sakura. "So, that means people who weren't even born at that time or were just infants wouldn't know the truth of Kyuubi's fate."

"So then what really happened?" Tazuna asked.

"The truth is that the Yondaime used a special shinobi technique to seal the demon into me," Naruto answered. He then pointed at Sakura. "Ever since then, people in Konoha have treated me the same way you have seen her treat me."

Naruto then shrugged. "Most of the time though, I would be treated worse, such as being chased by mobs and beaten to near death or being kicked out of stores. So, I was often forced to live off the garbage in the streets. People at Konoha just don't understand that me and the Kyuubi are not the same being, just as a glass with water in it are not just one whole thing, but instead two separate pieces of things.

Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari looked horrified about Naruto's treatment, but at the same time they couldn't help but be a little afraid considering he has the Kyuubi sealed inside him.

"Didn't you have any family to take care of you?" Inari asked.

"No, not until I was four years old when my uncle finally found me and took me away from Konoha," Naruto answered. "But that is another story."

"Then why are you serving Konoha now?" Tsunami asked in confusion.

Naruto stayed silent, so Kakashi decided to answer for him. "I'm afraid that is confidential," he said. "But Naruto has people in Konoha that are attached to him, like our Sandaime Hokage. More people in Konoha these days, such as myself, hold no hatred for the boy." Kakashi then gave a look towards Naruto, as if telling him to not reveal the true reason he was serving Konohagakure like he did with Zabuza.

Tsunami and Inari felt that something was wrong about Kakashi's answer. Though, Tazuna knew the real reason Naruto stuck with Konoha since he heard the conversation between the blond and Zabuza. But Tazuna didn't think it was any of his business to tell anyone or argue with the Jounin about the reason itself.

Sasuke focused intently on Naruto. He really didn't care how Naruto used to be abused by Konoha's people in the past. Sasuke just cared about the samurai's power.

"So, is the Kyuubi the real reason you are so powerful?" Sasuke asked. "Do you solely rely on it?"

Naruto calmly shook his head. "No, not at all," he answered. "In fact, I have never even used the Kyuubi's power. I don't even know how."

'_Someday you will know demon brat,'_ Kakashi thought as he narrowed his eye at Naruto. _'And that power will serve Konoha.'_

"How do I know you are not lying?" Sasuke questioned.

"The Kyuubi's power felt malicious and evil," Naruto answered. "When I fought and defeated Zabuza and one of those Chuunin, you would have felt such power if I had always relied on the Kyuubi."

Kakashi was not at all surprised that Naruto knew of the Kyuubi. The Sandaime had informed him that Kenshin had told Naruto everything that he knew about the Kyuubi. However, Kakashi and the Sandaime did not know exactly how Kenshin came across such information before he found the blond. Ninja from the elemental countries hadn't started fighting in Japan until after Naruto was taken away from Konoha.

The Sandaime also told Kakashi that Himura Kenshin was somehow actually related to Uzumaki Kushina, thus being Naruto's uncle. Therefore, Kakashi and the Sandaime theorized that the basic reason Kenshin took Naruto away from Konoha was because somehow he found out that they were related to each other.

Kenshin would have known that Naruto at least somewhat existed since Kushina had a big mouth, especially when she was pregnant with the boy. Surely Kushina would have told her whole family everything about the baby she was fixing to give birth to.

Sasuke looked deep in thought for a moment as he stared at Naruto, before he slowly nodded his head. "You make a good point," he said. "I will believe you for now."

Naruto nodded back at Sasuke. "Vey well."

Sakura could only continue to hatefully glare at Naruto. No logical explanation about Naruto's 'condition' would ever change how she felt towards him.

Sakura would always hate Uzumaki Naruto.

Kakashi's eye suddenly widened in shock. "Of course! Why hadn't I thought of it before?"

"Thought of what?" Sasuke asked.

"Hunter-nins are known to always dispose of the body of the person they terminate right where he or she dies," Kakashi said. "But the hunter-nin that supposedly killed Zabuza didn't dispose of his body on the spot."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sakura asked with annoyance.

Sasuke tried to not show his confusion about what Kakashi was saying. He wasn't going to voice his bewilderment out loud like Sakura did. He thought of himself as an elite Uchiha, thus it would not be proper for him to show such behavior. So, he acted like he knew what Kakashi was talking about.

Kakashi noticed that Sakura was confused about what he said. So, he decided to speak to Sakura as if she was a slow minded little child. "So, how did that supposed hunter-nin dispose of Zabuza's body?"

"How are we supposed to know?" Sakura hissed in frustration. "That masked freak took Zabuza's body with him!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly at Sakura, but he chose to not respond to what she just said…for now. In terms of skill, intellect, and understanding of the world, Sakura was just a little insect compared to Haku.

It was only words that Sakura had just used after all. Just words. However, the reason that Naruto didn't accept disrespect from Sakura and Sasuke, such as calling him dobe, was because he needed to establish complete dominance in the group as their leader.

Upon knowing the personality of Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto knew he couldn't play nice if he was to lead and manipulate them.

Not for what he had planned.

Besides, what was wrong with freaks anyway? They certainly were more interesting than boring and normal people.

Kakashi sighed. "If that 'freak', as you call him Sakura, needed proof of his kill, he could have just cut off Zabuza's head and took it with him," he said. "And he only used simple needles to kill Zabuza…"

Sasuke couldn't hold back his surprise as his eyes widened in realization. "It can't be…"

Kakashi slowly nodded his head. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"What are you guys trying to say?" Tazuna asked.

Kakashi was silent for a moment before he answered Tazuna's question.

"Zabuza is alive."


	13. Chapter 13

Authors Notes: Yes readers, I am finally back in action. One of the reasons I've been gone for so long was because I got busy in Second Life. A very interesting virtual chat place, if I say so myself. I hope all the rp there helped me improve my writing, but I guess you reviewers will be the judge of that, huh? The other reason was because I just got a massive writer's block, and it's just now starting to crumble away. Anyway, I won't leave a long author note on this chapter like the last ones. Enjoy the story.

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**_Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 13_**

The next morning, Team 7 was in the middle of a forest, which was not far from Tazuna's house. After Kakashi's declaration of Zabuza being alive yesterday, he eventually came to the conclusion that it was best to prepare his team for the upcoming battle they would have with him and his accomplice.

Well, Sasuke and Sakura were the ones that needed to be prepared the most.

And yes, later on yesterday, Kakashi had sent a messenger hawk to Konoha to request a squad of ANBU to pick up the surviving and tied up Chuunin missing-nin that Team 7 had fought, something that Naruto took note of.

"Ok, before I began your training, I want to talk to you three about chakra, which is what ninjas use," Kakashi said. "Naruto, the Hokage had informed me that you have some ninja skills and that you learned them from ninjas who fought with you during Japan's civil war. Do you know what chakra is?"

Naruto nodded his head. Today, he was dressed in his usual samurai outfit, which like always consisted of black hakama pants, a full-length and black kimono, and a blood red haori over the kimono itself. The outfit he wore during the fight with Zabuza was still wet, and he needed to wash and dry it. Fortunately, he knew about sealing scrolls, and carried one with him that contained everything he needed for this mission, including spare clothes. The previous outfit he wore was sealed up in another scroll. He still had his sugegasa hat. But it wasn't even wet, because he had dropped it before he carried out his plan against Zabuza. And he had just picked it up as he started to leave the area with the client and the rest of Team 7.

Kakashi eye-smiled at Naruto and spoke to him in a mocking tone. "Well, if you really do know what chakra is, then go ahead and explain it."

Naruto shrugged. "Chakra is the energy a ninja uses to perform a jutsu."

Kakashi nodded his head. "And what else can you tell me about chakra?"

Naruto took out a pack of cigarettes, pulling one of them out of the little box they were in. After he lit it up, he took a drag out of it before putting the little box away and answering Kakashi's question. "Chakra is actually made up of two parts. The first part is body energy. It is in each and every one of your cells."

Kakashi nodded his head again and motioned for Naruto to continue.

"The second part is spiritual energy," Naruto said. "It is gained through training and experience. These two parts are combined to create chakra."

Kakashi sighed in frustration. He was hoping Naruto would be incorrect so he could, as he believed, knock Naruto down a peg or two while mocking him. "That's… correct Naruto. Although, I did not expect for you to be exactly right," he said. "A ninja is able to use a jutsu by bringing out and releasing chakra. This is performed by using his or her hands to make a seal."

"Why do we need to be lectured about chakra?" Sasuke asked. "We already know how to use a jutsu."

"Wrong," Kakashi said. "None of you are using chakra properly."

There was a short pause of silence following Kakashi's statement before he continued. "Look, like Naruto explained awhile ago, releasing chakra means to bring out physical and spiritual energy and mix them within your body," he said. "None of you are using chakra to its full potential."

Kakashi walked over to a tree and turned around to face his team. "Based on the jutsu you use, the type and amount of chakra that's released will be different," he said. "Even if you release a large amount of chakra, the jutsu will be weakened or not work at all if you don't have proper control over your chakra."

"I see," Sasuke said. "Without the proper control over my chakra, I would be wasting energy, which would keep me from fighting as long."

Kakashi eye-smiled at the Uchiha. "Very good Sasuke," he said. "Yes, such weaknesses would appear."

'_Sasuke-kun is so smart…'_ Sakura thought with a sad smile. _'And he figured something out before that stupid demon did.'_ She gave a hard glare towards Naruto, but quickly got pissed when she realized Naruto was just staring off into space while smoking a cigarette. He seemed to not care what Sasuke said.

Before Sakura could think anything more about Naruto, she suddenly remembered the situation at hand. "So, what should we do?" she asked Kakashi.

"You three are going to learn how to control it…through intense training," Kakashi answered.

"How?" Sakura asked. She wanted to get strong enough to avenge her family by killing Naruto. She wouldn't mind getting back at him either for beating her up that one day.

"Tree climbing," Kakashi said as if that was the simplest answer in the world.

There was a long silence before it was broken by an annoyed Sasuke. "But…we already know how to climb trees."

Kakashi nodded his head. "Yes, but can you do it without your hands?"

Everyone, except Naruto, was surprised by Kakashi's answer.

Before anyone could say anything, Kakashi turned towards a tree behind him, performed a Ram hand seal, and then simply walked up it without using his hands. Finally, after a bit of walking, he hung high up from a large branch sticking out of the tree.

Sasuke and Sakura were shocked by Kakashi's ability, but Naruto didn't seem amazed by it at all. In fact, he was still staring off into space.

"Do you get it now?" Kakashi asked. "You have to gather chakra in the bottom of your feet and climb up a tree." He gave his team an eye smile. "All of you will be able to do this once you're efficient at using chakra."

Sakura glared at Naruto, but spoke quietly to Kakashi. "And how is learning to climb a tree supposed to make us stronger?" she asked. "I don't want to be weak anymore."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting that kind of talk to come from Sakura of all people.

Kakashi was also surprised by Sakura's attitude. He was just waiting for her to start screeching loudly and began complaining. But now, she seemed real determined about getting stronger. He then noticed the intense glare she was sending to Naruto and quickly came to a conclusion about her behavior.

'_So, she wants to get stronger to kill the demon brat and avenge her family,'_ Kakashi thought. _'Perhaps it was best that she learned the truth about him after all. If she wasn't such a weak fangirl before, then I would try to take her off the path of revenge right now. However, it seems the most efficient motivation she can use to get stronger. I'll guide her away from her revenge when she's a strong kunoichi. Hopefully, she will still continue to train hard even after that.'_

Kakashi's eye then narrowed when another thought occurred to him. '_She'll never stand a chance against the monster no matter how hard she trains, unlike Sasuke. I just need to make sure she never tries to kill Naruto. I can't allow a councilwoman's daughter to be killed, even if she wasn't on my watch. But then again, I doubt that demon would even fight back given the consequences…'_

"Sensei?"

Kakashi looked down towards at Sakura. "Oh, right. Sorry, I got lost in thought." He crossed his arms as he still hung from a tree branch. "Anyway, this training will make you stronger by helping you learn how to control your chakra," he said. "This is because you all will be trying to bring the proper amount of chakra to the proper area. Even a skilled ninja can have difficulty with this."

Kakashi paused in his speech as he took notice of Sakura looking nervous for a split second by his last statement, before that nervousness was overcome by a strong resolve. She glared at Naruto and clenched her teeth in determination.

'_Maybe she won't be such a fangirl anymore,'_ Kakashi thought, before he continued his explanation. "The amount of chakra to be used for climbing a tree is small, but it needs to be exact. And…the bottom of the foot is known as the most difficult place to gather chakra."

By now, both Sakura and Sasuke looked very determined.

"So theoretically, if you're able to learn this control, then you should be able to master any jutsu," Kakashi said. "But you need to develop enough stamina to control chakra right. Controlling your chakra can be quiet difficult based on the jutsu you use."

Sakura started to head to a tree to train like Kakashi explained.

Kakashi chuckled. "Hold on, Sakura," he said. "I'm almost finished explaining about this training. You'll get your chance very soon."

Sakura glared at Kakashi. "Hurry up."

Kakashi smirked under his mask. He was a little amused now at Sakura's new behavior. "Even when a ninja is in battle and moving frequently, he will most likely be gathering his chakra," he explained. "Controlling chakra in such situations can be even more difficult."

Kakashi took out three kunais and threw them at the Genin. Each one stuck into the ground in front of a member of Team 7.

"So, from this tree climbing, you need to gain enough stamina for this proper control," Kakashi said. "Use the kunais to mark how high you make it up the tree. Then, you three will use that mark as a goal and attempt to surpass it."

Sasuke and Sakura bent down and pulled the kunai in front of them from the ground.

"Don't expect to walk up a tree on your first try," Kakashi warned. "In fact, get a little momentum and then try running up the tree. Understand?"

Sakura and Sasuke nodded their heads before they performed a Ram hand seal and gathered chakra in their feet. After that, they each chose a tree and tried to run up it.

Sasuke was only able to manage a few steps up the tree before he was blasted off. Though, he was able to use his kunai to make a mark a few inches above the spot where he was launched from.

'_If I use too much __chakra__, then that's what happens,'_ Sasuke thought. _'So, I bet the opposite is_ _that if I use too little, then I'll just slip off.'_

However, Sakura had no trouble at all with the tree climbing exercise. In fact, she was able to make it to the very top of the tree and was currently standing on a large branch.

If Sakura was the same girl she was before she knew about Naruto's condition, then she would right now be showing off her accomplishment and trying to get Sasuke to notice her.

However, Sakura was too focused on getting revenge and becoming stronger. So instead, she just quietly observed Sasuke's attempts at Kakashi's exercise.

'_This exercise was too easy for me,'_ Sakura thought. _'Sasuke-kun is much stronger than me right now, so he should have reached a higher spot than I did.'_ She looked at the tree she walked on. _'Something is wrong.'_

"Well, it seems Sakura is the best at controlling chakra," Kakashi said. "Her control and stamina are very efficient."

Sasuke clenched his fist and glared at Sakura for a moment, before he turned his glare towards the ground in frustration.

Sakura though was too busy contemplating Kakashi's tree climbing exercise to notice Sasuke's glare.

"I suppose the Uchiha clan isn't really worth very much after all," Kakashi lied.

In reality, Kakashi was practically an Uchiha lover. He was just trying to motivate his favorite student. Though, he did hurt inside from having to say such 'blasphemous' words.

"You are not telling the whole truth."

Sasuke stopped trying to run up a tree and paid attention to the possible argument between Naruto and Kakashi. He was curious.

Kakashi looked at Naruto. "What do you mean?"

Naruto took a drag out of his cigarette and then exhaled; smoke escaping from his lips and briefly covering his face as he spoke. "You are holding Sakura back by trying so desperately to boost her ego and motivate Sasuke."

Kakashi narrowed his eye at Naruto, but the blond samurai just ignored it and continued. "She's not as strong as you're trying to make her out to be," he said. "You are not telling the whole truth."

Sakura caught onto what Naruto meant, so she swallowed hard and prepared to say something she was very reluctant about.

"He's right."

Kakashi and Sasuke were shocked. They did not expect Sakura to react that way.

Naruto just narrowed his eyes in thought. _'So, she must be really determined after all if she would actually agree with me.'_

"What?" Kakashi asked with surprise.

Sakura sighed. "Sensei, it doesn't make any sense that I would be better than Sasuke when he's obviously stronger than me," she said. "I know that right now, I'm weak. There has to be a logical explanation for why I have an easier time with this exercise than he does." She then leveled a glare towards Kakashi. "You know why, but you're not telling me for whatever reason. I need to know sensei, so I can work on any weaknesses that I have and get stronger."

Sakura finally looked away from Kakashi. "Please…don't keep things like that from me," she pleaded. "As your student, I demand to know why."

'_Damn, I wanted to keep Sasuke motivated by getting him to believe for a short time that someone as weak as Sakura is stronger than him,'_ Kakashi thought. _'Well, there goes that plan._ _Damn you demon brat_!'

"Fine," Kakashi said with reluctance. "You have better chakra control because you have so little chakra within you. Since Sasuke has more chakra than you do though, he will have a harder time with this exercise."

Sasuke now felt a lot less frustrated than he did before. In fact, he had a little smirk on his face. _'As I should have known,'_ he thought_. 'An Uchiha will always be superior.'_

"Ok," Sakura said, before she looked down at the ground and went deep in thought. After a few seconds, she looked up at Kakashi again. "Kakashi-sensei, if this exercise can increase someone's chakra control, then can it also increase someone's chakra reserves?"

Kakashi nodded his head. "Yes," he answered. "By constantly running up and down the tree, you will be draining your chakra reserves. If you want, just keep running up and down a tree until you're too tired to do it anymore. Don't overdo it though, or you could pass out from chakra exhaustion. When your chakra reserves are replenished, they should increase by a certain amount."

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei," Sakuara said as she nodded her head in the affirmative, before she did as Kakashi explained by running back down and up the tree repeatedly.

Kakashi walked down his tree. When he finally reached the ground, he addressed his strongest Genin. "Naruto, why aren't you doing this exercise like your teammates are doing?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I already know how to do tree walking."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?" he asked. "The Hokage told me you had notified him about being able to do this exercise. But, you never had shown any proof to him or me that you can. I'm skeptical of it. So, if you can do it like you say, then you certainly won't have any trouble proving it to me right now."

Naruto stared at Kakashi for a few seconds, before tossing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. Slowly, he headed towards a tree and simply walked up it until he reached the very top like Sakura did.

Naruto now stood on a large branch sticking out of the tree.

Sakura and Sasuke seethed. Sakura was mad because Naruto was able to do the exercise as easily as she could, but in the past she would have been angrier about Naruto being able to do better than Sasuke. The Uchiha was angered because he had thought that he would finally have the chance to do something better than Naruto could, only to find out that the blond had already surpassed him. He just felt so frustrated that Naruto was at his age, but was so much stronger.

Both Sakura and Sasuke did not expect Naruto to be able perform tree walking since he was mainly trained as a Japanese samurai, not a ninja.

Kakashi was just surprised. He was honest when he basically told Naruto that he didn't believe him about being able to tree walk. He didn't think the blond would actually be able to train and fight as a fully fledged Japanese samurai, while at the same time learn enough about the way shinobi fight to the point where he knows how stick to trees and other surfaces using chakra.

"There is your proof," Naruto said calmy.

Kakashi was silent for a few more seconds as he stared at Naruto in disbelief, before he narrowed his eye at him. "You're dismissed from this exercise," he said with a tone of annoyance in his voice. "However, I think it's time we have a talk…privately."

Naruto showed no sign of reaction to Kakashi's statement. He just simply walked down his tree. When Naruto reached the ground, he walked towards Kakashi until he was standing a little ways in front of him.

Kakashi looked towards Sasuke and Sakura, who were observing their interaction. "Sasuke, continue this exercise until you have it mastered. And Sakura, like Naruto, you're also dismissed from this exercise. But you're free to use this exercise to increase your chakra reserves if you wish."

Sakura didn't protest or question Kakashi. She just nodded her head before she continued to repeatedly run up and down a tree. The Uchiha also went back to the tree climbing exercise.

Kakashi began walking away from the current training area used by his Genins. "Follow me, Naruto."

And so Naruto followed Kakashi. The two walked a short distance away from Sakura and Sasuke until they reached a spot where no listening ears would hear their conversation. Turning around swiftly, Kakashi faced his student. "Naruto…" he began. "Who was it exactly that taught you ninja techniques?"

Naruto faced his so-called sensei with a sense of calm that was both on the inside and out. He wasn't surprised that Kakashi asked him such a question. In fact, the only thing that surprised Naruto was that he wasn't asked sooner by the man, even though the Hokage before asked him the same thing. He briefly pondered the reason why it took Kakashi so long to ask him this, before clearing his thoughts and answering the question. "I was lucky enough to come across certain ninjas who were willing to teach me, as well as show me scrolls," he answered. "As you should know, different sides had the assistance of ninja. It was rare that they would show samurai anything, but whenever I did get the chance, I took it."

"And I'm sure most of the ninja that shared such knowledge were nukenin." Kakashi's eye was narrowed and his voice was cold and harsh. He was being dead serious. "That Kage bunshin technique you used in D-rank missions…that's a jutsu only taught to Leaf ninja. And not just any Leaf ninjas…but those that reach Jounin rank. So…I know you learned it from a high level nukenin." At the end of his sentence, Kakashi growled and a little bit of killing intent leaked out.

If Naruto was nervous, he didn't show it. And it frustrated the Jounin to no end. The demon child just continued to stare at him. Acting as calm as if they were talking about the weather!

After a long pause, Kakashi got down to the question he wanted to ask the most. "Who taught you that technique Naruto?"

The blond samurai was already prepared for that question, ever since his so-called team's first D-rank mission. Again, he was surprised he wasn't asked sooner. The one who taught that technique to him, Itachi, had long ago told him the truth regarding the Uchiha Clan Massacre, about how Danzo and the rest of Konoha's elders had ordered him to kill off his whole clan due to the threat of the Uchiha starting a village-wide revolt. Naruto also knew the reason Itachi abandoned the village was because he left Sasuke alive, not only leaving a witness to identify the murderer, but defying orders as well...

The elders never intended for the identity of the culprit to be known, and the same went for the true reason of the Uchiha clan's demise. So, trying to improvise, the advisors succeeded in having the population of Konoha believe that Itachi basically went insane, thus the clan murderer was eventually marked as a nukenin. However, the fact that the elders were trying to cover up the truth of the Uchiha Clan Massacre wasn't the only reason they got Itachi marked as a nukenin. The other reasons were that Itachi had disobeyed their orders and left the village with very sensitive knowledge. Knowledge that could ruin them, since the rest of Konoha's people, especially the rest of the council, would turn on them in a heartbeat for daring to lay a hand on the 'great' Uchiha clan, despite the fact that they were traitors.

Indeed, Itachi had shared much of what he knows with Naruto, including the real reason he left his weak little brother alive, as well as why he protected him by not only asking the Sandaime Hokage to look out for Sasuke, but also threatening Danzo and the other elders that he would go public with everything he knew if even one finger was laid on him.

And Itachi didn't do any of that out of the goodness of his heart.

So, Naruto knew that he couldn't reveal to Kakashi his association with one of the worst traitors in Konoha's history. Especially someone that Konoha's elders desperately want dead. Oh sure, he could say that he was taught ninja techniques from a regular Leaf nukenin. That's a whole different story. But if Naruto told the truth, then not only would he obviously face a lot of problems, but he would be betraying one of his best friends.

Itachi didn't want it known to anyone that he was in Japan during the country's civil war, not just because of the risk of hunter-nins getting a lead on him, but also because of the risk of the organization he's in, Akatsuki, being discovered, along with their activities in Japan itself. And yes, Itachi had even informed Naruto about the purpose of the organization…

Itachi and Naruto were very close. Their friendship was not only strong, but rare as well. Neither of them kept secrets from the other.

Eventually, Naruto and Itachi agreed that they would have to fight each other later in the future after the end of Japan's civil war, not just because of Akatsuki's goals, but to test…their capacity.

Both of them knew it wouldn't just be any fight, but a fight to the death.

After all, Naruto and Itachi were not just best friends...

They were rivals.

The main point is that Naruto had already planned out how he would answer this question when, not if, it would come up. The plan was simple…

"His name was Taiyoukaen Kassei," Naruto answered, looking straight into Kakashi's eye, calm as ever.

Naruto would just give the name of a Jounin Leaf nukenin that he met in the past. The man's only crime was leaving his village. Since then, he was a mercenary. But from what the blond found out, the man died later on in Japan's civil war.

For a moment, Kakashi just stared back at Naruto, his one visible eye narrowed into a slit and searching the blond's eyes and facial expression for any deception. He found none. But, that's understandable considering that Naruto knows how to keep any hint of a lie from showing. He did, after all, learn from the best.

The Leaf Jounin finally seemed to relax, but still stared at him intensely. "Yes…I've heard of him," he spoke quietly. "The man is dead now, according to what information I gathered."

"That is correct," Naruto responded. "He taught me that jutsu before his death."

Kakashi nodded his head. "I figured as much." His eye then narrowed upon the blond again, conveying suspicion. "I won't ask how he came to eventually teach you anything. No, what I'm more interested in is how you came to know Zabuza, who is an A-Class nukenin from Kiri and one of the members of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Someone, who lead a coup in Kiri and tried to assassinate the Yondaime Mizukage."

Once more, Naruto remained calm in the face of one of Kakashi's questions. His eyes retaining the same sad look he always wore and his expression unchanging in the slightest. "It should be obvious how I came to know him," Naruto answered, his soft voice never wavering, pissing Kakashi off a little since he saw that the 'demon' was 'daring' to talk back to him. "I met him during the era of the Bakumatsu no Doran. We fought on the same side, of course."

Kakashi crossed his arms, inhaling deeply for a moment before exhaling slowly. "And what do you know of his skills and abilities, Naruto?" he asked. "The information you can give me would greatly help for the next time our team confronts him again. And there will be another battle. There's no doubt about that."

Naruto shrugged and just answered truthfully. "All I know is just from what you and everyone else on Team 7 seen in the last battle against him," he answered. "He specializes in kenjutsu and the jutsus he relies on are water based. I have never seem him perform any other types of elemental jutsus."

Kakashi sighed in frustration and placed his hands against his hips. "Well, is there any other water jutsus he knows besides the ones he used in the last battle?"

Naruto slightly shook his head, once more giving an honest answer. "No. The only water jutsu that was new to me was the one that he used to trap you in some sort of water sphere."

"Ok," Kakashi answered, looking up at the sky and rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was once more feeling frustration. "One more question, Naruto."

"Yes?"

The Jounin lowered his head and leveled his gaze upon the samurai. "Who was the girl that Zabuza was talking about?"

Naruto was quiet for at least half a minute, the only noise around them being the sound of birds and other wildlife around the forest. To Naruto's credit though, his eyes and expression continued to remain the same. Finally, he decided he would only be partially truthful with his answer. "Someone I'm close to, who feels close to Zabuza."

Now it was Kakashi's turn to take stay quiet for a moment, his intense stare trying to drill a hole into Naruto's head. "Is this girl an accomplice of his, Naruto?" he asked. "Is she in this land?"

Naruto responded instantly. "No," he lied.

"Another person you've met in Japan?" Kakashi asked, his eyebrow raised.

Naruto just gave a nod.

Kakashi rubbed his chin, continuing to stare at Naruto in another moment of silence, a look of superiority about him. All of a sudden, his voice got quieter, but there was a hint of harshness in it, as he asked his next question. "Is what Zabuza said true, Naruto?" he asked. "Will you hesitate to kill him, or even cause permanent harm, because of this girl?"

The eyes of the blond samurai narrowed, returning Kakashi's stare with the same intensity. "No," he lied again. "I'm not even sure if she's alive anymore. And even if she is, it's not like I'll even ever see her again anyways, so what does it matter? She's not even in this land or anywhere in the Elemental Countries. She was in Japan the last time I saw her." But she actually was very much in this land. And the truth was that he didn't even know what to do if he ever faced Zabuza in battle again, especially with Haku there. He was still trying to figure that out. He could injure him like last time, but what about after that? If he didn't kill Zabuza, then Kakashi would, and he couldn't let that happen. So, he would end up being in the same predicament that he was in the last battle against Zabuza.

And what if he had to fight Haku? There was a possibility of that happening as well. And it was even a more horrible predicament to be in. If he didn't kill her, she could be captured by the Leaf nins and be brought back to Konoha to be used as breeding stock because of her bloodline. After all, unlike Zabuza, she wasn't classified in the ninja world as a nukenin. That filthy and insignificant little Uchiha might even get his hands on her because of his clan status in the village. Naruto didn't know what to do…

Naruto's heart clenched at all these thoughts.

Kakashi closed his eye for a second, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration once more. He wasn't sure if Naruto was telling the truth or not. Of all the enemies they had to face on this mission, it had to be someone who had a past with Konoha's jinchuriki. Naruto did seem pretty convincing though when he answered his questions. Suddenly, Kakashi remembered something else from the conversation between Naruto and Zabuza, and mentally cursed himself for not remembering it sooner…

The blond samurai had asked the nukenin how…some girl was. And the way Zabuza was talking about this girl…it sounded as if he kept in regular contact with her. The nukenin had even talked about how this girl could be with Naruto if the blond joined him. And Naruto himself had said that if he was to travel with Zabuza _and_ this girl, then they would be put in danger. So, did the demon ask Zabuza about Haku because the nukenin stayed with her a little longer after the blond left Japan? Did Zabuza act as if he kept in regular contact with this girl because he had a way to communicate with her? Or maybe he was just referring to the last time he saw her? Maybe Zabuza was planning to travel to Japan to meet up with this girl if Naruto was willing to join him, and then perhaps all three of them would head back to the Elemental Countries?

Kakashi shook his head to clear away the jumbled up thoughts, his arms crossed tight as he looked down at the ground in concentration. _'All of that is possible. So, I'm sure the demon brat is telling the truth. Japanese samurai are at least supposed to be honorable enough to tell the truth most of the time.' _He lifted his head and narrowed his one eye in thought as he looked upon the samurai's unchanging face. _'And besides, even if he's lying about the girl, I'm sure in the end he would not only kill Zabuza, but her as well…just to keep that pitiful country of his safe. The leash Konoha has on him is too tight for him to betray it, much less his superiors.'_ Kakashi sneered in disgust behind his mask. _'How pathetic...to have that much love for an inferior country that is now only a shadow of its former self, just like the monsters that live in it.'_

In the near future, Kakashi's arrogance would be his undoing.

Quickly, Kakashi wiped the sneer off his face, on the chance that Naruto could notice it even if he was wearing a mask. His stare and expression finally returning back to its usual calm and neutral facade. "Very well, Naruto. We'll see someday if you're telling the truth or not, won't we?" When all he got in response was the same calm and sad stare that Naruto always gave, Kakashi just turned around, pulling his porn book from his pouch, and walking back towards where the Uchiha and Haruno were still training. "You're free to do as you wish today. Just try to stay out of trouble."

And so, Naruto kept watching the form of his so-called sensei until he finally disappeared into the distance. Slowly, his right hand stopped twitching, which was something important that Kakashi didn't notice. His hand always did that…right before he used it to unsheathe his sword.

Naruto was so sure that Kakashi would have questioned him more about the conversation between him and Zabuza. Either Kakashi was arrogant enough to believe that Naruto would kill Zabuza and anyone allied with him, despite of the chance that he was lying about Haku, because of the threat Konoha poses to Japan, or the Leaf Jounin was planning something.

'_I'll keep a more careful eye on him just in case,'_ Naruto thought, still staring off into the direction that Kakashi disappeared at. _'Yes Kakashi, indeed we will see someday.'_


	14. Chapter 14

Authors Note: As you all can tell, I'm changing the chapter titles, obviously because of the change of the story's name. I would go back and change the previous chapter titles, but for me to do that…I would have to copy the text from each chapter on this website into word, double space between all the paragraphs one by one, and then make the changes before uploading it. All because this website only allows me to keep uploaded documents for a short period of time. I am sorry, but I am not going to go through all that. Anyway, if any of you remember the flute that some guy played in Samurai X, can one of you tell me the name of it? All I know is that it's a type of Japanese flute. I just don't know what it's called. I plan to include it in this fic though. Enjoy. Oh, and the interaction between Naruto and Haku will begin on the next chapter. ;)

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**_Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 14_**

Exhaustion.

Pain.

That was all Uchiha Sasuke could feel at the moment, his hands raw after holding and using a bokken for so long. He felt as if every muscle in his body was on fire, and the darkness in the corners of his vision was slowly growing. His body was not only covered with sweat, but with scars and bruises. For hours, he had been sparring with his opponent, from early morning to the middle of the afternoon, desperately trying to keep up with the intense training session and in his case, survive.

They were in the same place where he and Sakura had practiced the tree climbing exercise yesterday.

"Again," a soft and calm voice commanded.

Sasuke glared at the source of the voice, breathing heavily and standing on shaky legs. Slowly, he positioned himself back into the stance that he was taught, before he charged once more.

Easily blocking Sasuke's swings with his own bokken, all the while using just one hand, Naruto noted that, though sloppy, they were at least _a little_ better than when he first started his training. Parrying a thrust at his stomach, blocking a vertical slash at his left shoulder, and then stopping a horizontal slash at his neck, Naruto finally went on the offensive.

Like every other time he trained with Naruto, Sasuke didn't know what hit him. It was like getting struck by lightning. He was only able to block a swing at his ear, which filled him with pride and surprise, before Naruto's attacks accelerated and he was suddenly struck in the knee caps, on both his shoulders, and then his back. Not even having a moment to scream in pain, Sasuke hit the ground hard, face first, and he could only moan in agony.

Naruto planted his foot on Sasuke's back, watching the weak Uchiha gasp in pain. He observed in curiosity as the dark-haired boy slowly turned his head and looked up at him, almost as if he were pleading, before his eyes closed shut in pain, the little Uchiha stifling a scream. Naruto had twisted his foot deeper into Sasuke's back.

After a long and quiet minute, Naruto finally spoke. "Your swings were sloppy as always, though I did notice at least _a little_ better coordination in them, but that is not saying much considering that I have been training you since Team 7 was formed." Taking his foot off the Uchiha's back, Naruto heard Sasuke's little pathetic sigh of relief, before he began to walk around the downed Genin in a circle, his hands clasped behind his back. "There is a lesson to be learned here, do you know what that is, Sasuke?"

Sasuke took a few minutes to catch his breath, as he was still breathing hard, but Naruto waited patiently, his feet making no sound as he paced. Finally, the Uchiha answered. "Yeah, I learned that you wouldn't be able to defeat me like this if I had my Sharingan!" he spat vehemently. "You would be on the ground instead!" Naruto just continued to pace, shaking his head in wonder at Sasuke's arrogance. Just before he could reply though, Sasuke opened his mouth again. "And, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about…"

Finally, Naruto stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look down at the defeated Uchiha after double checking that he didn't detect Kakashi anywhere near their location. "Yes?" he asked. "What is it?" He hoped Sasuke would make it fast so he could get back to the lesson. He really didn't want to spend any more time around the stupid brat than he had to. Or maybe he just didn't like to be around most people from Konoha in general…

It could be both.

Looking up at Naruto again, Sasuke glared. "You told me…that you met Itachi sometime after you reached Hi no Kuni."

Naruto nodded. "Yes," he answered. "What about it?"

"How could that be possible when there must have been ANBU escorting you on your trip from Japan, since you were forced to come back to Konoha?" Sasuke hissed, his eyes narrowed further in suspicion. "If it was the first time you met him, I don't believe he would pay for your damn ramen or tell you so much about himself or me! I should know, since I was the bastard's brother! And, I seriously doubt that his records are made public to the village, especially to non-ninja or Genins!"

_'Well, it was only a matter of time until he figured it out,'_ Naruto thought. _'I knew he would sooner or later, I just wanted to delay it. It took him a long time though.'_

"The way you talked about him...it wasn't as if you only met him one time!" Sasuke raged. "Choosing to train me mostly as a favor to my brother? Out of respect for him? You've known him for a long time haven't you?" His eyes then narrowed further. "You're really close to him, aren't you?"

Naruto calmly pulled out a box of cigarettes from a pocket under his haori. The pocket was tightly buttoned, so the box could stay in place. Taking notice that he only had three cigarettes left, Naruto sighed and pulled one out. Placing it between his lips, he reached under his haori again and pulled out a lighter from the same pocket the box came from. Giving the lighter a few flicks, he lit his cigarette and then slowly put the lighter back into that pocket, before taking a long drag of his cigarette.

"Well?" Sasuke demanded, getting impatient.

Naruto took the cigarette out of his mouth and exhaled, the smoke slowly escaping from his lips as he continued to stare down at the Uchiha. "I never said it was the first time I met him, Sasuke."

"So, you deceived me!" Sasuke accused fiercly, his hands gripping the grass tightly as his body shook in rage, though that was all he could do because of the pain and exhaustion he was in.

"No, I did not," Naruto responded, shaking his head. "You just simply failed to look underneath my words. Even Kakashi, as arrogant as he is just like you, understands at least a little about the concept of the underneath."

"What?" Sasuke gasped, his eyes wide in shock, but only for a few seconds before they once more narrowed in anger. "Why couldn't you just be more direct with me?"

"I wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it all out," Naruto answered with a partial truth. "And it seems it took you quite awhile."

"Damn you..." Sasuke muttered, trying to try to burn a hole in Naruto's face, the darkness in the corners of his vision growing even faster. "Why?"

Naruto shrugged after taking another drag of his cigerette. "I wanted to test your mental capabilities as a ninja," he answered. "It seems that is something else you will have to work on."

Sasuke could only continue to glare at Naruto, burning with humiliation and anger, not only because of his latest defeat, but also because of this so-called test of Naruto's, and the fact that he failed it.

And then his thoughts once more returned to his brother.

"What else do you know about him?" he asked, menacingly. "Where is he?"

'_And this is the other reason I wasn't direct with you about your older brother,'_ Naruto thought. _'Because I would have to deal with you pitching a huge and rage filled fit and demanding more information about him from me. Though, I was only trying to delay the inevitable.'_

"I have told you everything you needed to know about him, and I will tell you more if the need ever arises," Naruto answered. He held is hand up as Sasuke was about to protest. "Believe me Sasuke, the rest of what I could tell you about him would not help you at all in any way. And, I truthfully do not know where he currently is. What you should be worried about though, is the fact that you won't receive anymore training from me if you reveal to anyone anything I've told you in regards to him."

Sasuke just grinded his teeth together and gave a slow and reluctant nod to show that he understood.

Naruto crossed his arms, the length of the sleeves of his kimono long enough to completely cover his hands. The sleeves were wide enough as well, allowing Naruto to hide his arms when he crossed them. That was how all the sleeves of his kimonos were like.

"Right now is an example of a time when I need to tell you more about what I know concerning your brother, so listen well." Though, Naruto didn't have to use those last words, as all of Sasuke's attention was now focused on the blond, eagerly awaiting what he had to say. "You say that you could beat me if you had the Sharingan. Yet, I beat your brother about as many times as he beat me in spars, and he has a fully developed Sharingan, not to mention more experience with it. He and I are even rivals."

"What?" Sasuke gasped.

Naruto nodded his head. "It is true, Sasuke. And do you know the main difference between you and your brother?" The samurai didn't wait for a response. "He lacked arrogance, whereas you have it in abundance. And that is one of the main reasons why he beat me at times, and why you lost to me awhile ago. You think that you truly blocked one of my attacks in our last spar? I _allowed_ you to block it Sasuke. In that moment, you became too distracted with your own accomplishment, with your pride, just like I knew you would. You became so lost in your arrogance, that I had the easiest time getting past your defenses and hitting you. Do you understand the lesson I'm trying to teach you?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, lost in thought, before he again started muttering. The Uchiha was on the verge of losing consciousness. "It doesn't matter that you beat him before. The fact is that there were times when he actually beat you, which proves that if I had the Sharingan, I would be able to do the same thing…" And then, Sasuke's world finally faded into darkness.

Naruto again shook his head in wonder, realizing that the delusional Uchiha had finally succumbed to exhaustion. "Take my lesson or leave it. Either way, I don't care." Taking another drag of his cigarette, he bent down and took the bokken out of Sasuke's hand before sealing it in a scroll and leaving the clearing, deciding that today's training session was over and that the little Uchiha could help himself get back to Tazuna's house when he wakes up. _'He truly is nothing like his brother in anything. Nothing like him at all.'_

_Later at night_

Sakura was frustrated. She had wanted to work on her chakra reserves by continuing to practice the tree climbing exercise. And then, after she would feel that her reserves were high enough, she planned to ask her sensei for another training exercise or at least teach her something. She wanted to get stronger.

She needed to get stronger.

Strong enough to kill the 'demon.'

But, alas, it was not to be, as Kakashi had instead assigned her to guard Tazuna today, while the old man was working on the bridge, managing his construction workers. And then, she had to escort Tazuna as he done some shopping in town, and then on his walk back to his house. It was just so infuriating! How could she get powerful enough to claim her revenge if she's stuck guarding some useless drunk whose goal was a lost cause? Even after walking with Tazuna through a town that was in a poor and depressed state, she was too preoccupied with getting stronger and her quest of vengeance to even be sad by any of it. She was quiet and silently seething all day. Her mind increasingly focusing more on her grudge against the 'demon.'

Sakura couldn't even be in the same room with it without glaring at it in disgust and hatred.

Without being full of rage!

Oh, how she hated it. She hated the thing so damn much…

Suddenly, Sakura was brought out of her brooding as a plate a food was set down in front of her by Tsunami.

"Here you go!" Tsunami said, happily smiling. "Enjoy!"

"Oh, thanks," Sakura quietly responded, slowly digging into her meal. She didn't feel so hungry.

"You are very welcome," Tsunami said, still with that damnable happy smile on her face. "It's the least I could do for you and your team after all the effort you guys showed."

Currently, Sakura, her team, Tazuna, and Inari were at the old man's house and sitting at a table, being served dinner by Tsunami.

The pink-haired girl noticed that Sasuke must have trained really hard today, given that he looked really exhausted. And not to mention Sasuke was also eating as if this was his last meal, constantly stuffing himself as fast and as much as he could before throwing up into a bucket, and then repeating the process over and over, all the while sneaking glances at Naruto.

In the past, Sakura would have been worried about Sasuke, trying to fawn over him and urge him to be more careful. But now, she understood his reasoning…

She remembered that day, the day the 'demon' dared to harm her. It was the day that she was put in Team 7 and met her sensei. She had been at the Hokage monument, listening to the conversation between Naruto and Sasuke. On that day, she had found out that Sasuke's brother had killed everyone in his clan, except for him. She always knew that something happened to Sasuke's clan. That they just disappeared.

Wiped out.

And then, during the introductions of Team 7, Sasuke had stated that he wanted to kill a certain man. Add that information with what she heard from Sasuke's and Naruto's conversation, and the way he's always acted, it wasn't hard to figure out what his goal was…

He wanted revenge, just like she did, only not on the same person.

Yes, she understood his reasoning very well.

And yet, she felt jealous towards him. Jealous, that he wasn't held back by the team's sensei like she was. That he got to train and prepare for his vengeance, while she was tossed to the side. Just like today, when she was stuck on stupid guard duty. She remembered all the times Kakashi would leave her and that demon aside, focusing solely on Sasuke. Back then, she didn't mind, just as long as Sasuke got what he wanted, and she hadn't thought Naruto needed any extra training anyway.

But Sakura was no more a simple fangirl with a simple goal. Now, she was different. This time, she did mind that her sensei didn't focus on her at all.

She did mind that she didn't get the chance to train like the others on her team.

And, she minded that she was weak. So very weak…

Sakura suddenly noticed that she was glaring at Sasuke when his shocked eyes stared back at her, before she looked away and focused her glare on Naruto.

Sasuke blinked his eyes a couple times in surprise, never thinking that Sakura would ever look at him that way. It seemed his day was full of surprises. After the brief moment of shock wore off, Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and went back to his meal. He didn't know why Sakura, of all people, was angry at him, but he didn't care. In fact, it was probably a good thing. Maybe Sakura was finally getting over that annoying crush she had for him.

Sakura's anger spiked as she glared at Naruto; more so than usual. Why didn't he be put on guard duty instead? He doesn't need any training, and her sensei even said the demon was free to do as it pleased! Well, as long as it didn't do anything bad, but still that's not the point! The point is that she's the one that needed free time so she can train and get stronger, not him!

Finally, Sakura leveled the rest of her glare on her so-called sensei, the man that was leaning back in his chair and reading his dumb porn.

Kakashi sighed, closing his book and putting it back in one of the pouches in his Jounin vest, before turning his head towards his pink-haired student. He had noticed her glaring at her teammates, even Sasuke, before leveling it on him. He had hoped he could enjoy a peaceful time reading his book after eating dinner. _'I guess not…'_

"Why are you too busy glaring at everyone to eat, Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

"I have a better question, _sensei_," Sakura responded, though she spat out the last word with much loathing. "Why was I stuck doing guard duty instead of getting the chance to train more?"

Kakashi sighed again. "Because, Sakura, you already completed the tree climbing exercise, and someone needed to guard Tazuna. You will be guarding him until Sasuke masters it. Then, you two will rotate on guard duty."

"Then why can't the demon guard him instead?" Sakura asked, raising her voice a little. "It already can do the damn exercise and it doesn't need any extra training!" She slammed her hands on the table, making all the dishes and silverware shake. By now, everyone was staring at her, except for Naruto who was still eating his meal. "I'm the one that needs the extra time to train more, not that…that thing!"

Kakashi quickly held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Now, Sakura, calm down."

"No!" Sakura growled, standing up and leaning over the table. "I don't want to do guard duty anymore! I don't want be behind everyone anymore! I…DO…NOT…WANT…TO…BE…WEAK…," she then shoved her plate of food off the table in anger, making it break in many pieces, "ANYMORE!"

Kakashi quickly stood up. "That's enough, Sakura!" he roared.

Sakura got up right in his face. "You're damn right it's enough!" she yelled back. "Enough of-."

"Sakura!" Kakashi yelled, his voice harsh as he interrupted her. "I chose you to guard Tazuna, because I trust you over Naruto!"

Sakura stepped back in shock, her eyes wide. "W-what?"

Once more, Kakashi sighed. "You heard me, Sakura. I trust you more on watching over Tazuna than I do Naruto," Kakashi admitted, before turning his head to look at Naruto, who blissfully acted as if nothing was wrong as he ate his dinner. "No offense, Naruto. It's not as if I hate you or anything," he lied. "I'm sure I'll come to trust you just as much." More lies. "It's just, after that talk we had…" It was true. At the last minute today, after much thought, he had decided to at least play it a little safer by not assigning Naruto to the task of guarding the bridge builder.

Naruto finally looked up from his food, seemingly unconcerned with what was going on around him. "None taken," he responded. "I understand." And it was true, he did understand. One of the things he understood being that the Uchiha loving Jounin hated him, and would always hate him. He also now understood that there was no way Kakashi was going to have him assigned to guarding the client after finding out about his connection to Zabuza. He seemed to be taking less chances all of the sudden.

And frankly, Naruto didn't give a damn. That's why he just went back to his meal like nothing happened.

"Good," Kakashi replied, nodding his head before he turned his attention back towards his pink-haired student. "Now do you see why, Sakura?"

Sakura continued to stare at Kakashi in surprise. She had to admit, she did feel a _little_ privileged that her sensei trusted her so much. She was actually touched. But then, her previous anger returned as she came to the conclusion that the safety of some stupid and drunk old man was given priority over her need to become stronger. "Fine!" she snarled, turning around and heading to her room. "Whatever."

Kakashi shook his head as Sakura disappeared, before he returned to his seat and leaned his right elbow against the table, his hand covering his forehead. After a moment, he noticed the deathly silence in the room and looked up to see everyone, except Naruto, staring at him, their eyes wide in shock. He sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that night and addressed Tazuna and his family. "I'm deeply sorry for my student's behavior," he apologized. "She has not always been like this…"

Tsunami looked at Kakashi for a moment before quickly nodding her head, holding onto Inari as he tightly held onto his mother, his face an expression of shock and fear. "It's alright," she quietly replied. "I'll go ahead and clean up the mess."

It was at this moment that Naruto finally finished his meal, standing up and pushing his chair back, before heading outside.

"Naruto?" Kakashi addressed. "Where are you going?"

Naruto paused on his way out of the door and turned towards the Konoha Jounin. "I am going to meditate," he replied, as if it was the simplest answer in the world.

"Meditate?" Kakashi inquired. "Why can't you just do it in this house?"

"Because, the weather outside tonight seems nice," Naruto answered. "I enjoying meditating outside more, especially on a night like this. It's not too warm or too cold. The wind is perfect and the sounds of the outdoors can be soothing."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Naruto, before standing up and heading to the room he sleeps in, concluding that Japanese samurai were just weird. Right now, the Jounin just wanted to relax and read his porn. He was tired and frustrated. "Fine," he said. "You do that."

Naruto was gone as soon as those words left Kakashi's mouth.


	15. Chapter 15

Authors Notes: The reason that I usually don't like romance in Naruto stories is because it's often done poorly. Most of the romance in the Naruto section of this website is based on freakin harems and pure lust. It just doesn't feel...real. I want to at least _try _to be different in that regard. The best romance I've read onthis website was in the star wars section. So, I'm trying to write Naruto's and Haku's relationship similar to how I've seen the relationship between Anakin and Padme written. Keep in mind that this is probably the hardest, and most important, chapter I've ever written in this whole story so far. I hope I did at least half-way decent. If not, well at least I tried. *sighs*

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**_Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 15_**

The air this morning felt cool and crisp upon his skin, but not frigidly cold, as Naruto brought himself out of meditation, coming back to reality as his senses were assaulted by the sound of birds singing and the warmth of the sun's rays upon his face. He had been meditating all night, with his back against a tree, in the middle of a forest clearing. It was a type of meditation taught by his sensei that substituted for sleep, though he could not use meditation that way often, otherwise he would begin to feel the effects as a result of lack of slumber.

Besides just being a way for Naruto to keep himself calm and level headed, meditation was also something that he extremely enjoyed. It brought him much relaxation, helped him gather and sort out his thoughts better, and made him feel more at peace, blocking out all the chaos around him.

Deeply inhaling the fresh and forest air, Naruto closed his eyes in content and slowly breathed back out, enjoying the serene atmosphere around him. Suddenly, he felt a presence that he recognized nearing the area, making his heart skip a beat. For awhile, he waited, until the person appeared a few feet in front of him. Opening his eyes, Naruto's breath caught in his throat…

Just like always, she was the most beautiful woman, no, the most beautiful piece of art in existence. So beautiful, that Naruto could swear that she was more than human…

That she was an angel, gracing his world with her light as she descended from the heavens.

Long, soft, and raven black hair flowed half way down her back, her soft and chocolate brown eyes filled with sorrow as they stared back at him. Eyes that ensnared him completely, drawing him into their deep depths as he became enraptured with their magnificence, almost drowning in it. Her face was slender and smooth, as if it was personally and painstakingly sculpted by Kami, and her body was slim. Over her creamy white skin, she wore a light pink and sleeveless kimono that had a pattern of black swirls on it and dark pink trimmings on the front. A white obi was wrapped around her waist, and she sported a thin black choker around her neck.

She was also about the same height as Naruto, meaning that the blond was tall for his age considering he's still twelve years old, while she's at the age of fifteen.

Naruto could barely bring himself to stand up, his knees becoming weak just at the sight of her. He felt as if thousands of butterflies were fluttering around in his stomach, his heart swelling with joy after a very long time.

So much joy.

Yet, he was also nervous, not knowing what was going to happen next.

For a moment, it seemed as if time stopped for them both. As if the whole world disappeared and only the two of them existed. The only sound Naruto could hear being the rapid beat of his heart pounding in his ears, his mind only focused on her. And then, like a waterfall breaking through a dam, reality connected back to his senses when she suddenly rushed towards him.

"Haku-chan…" Naruto whispered, before she embraced him in a tight hug, her arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried in his chest as her eyes clenched tightly shut.

"Naruto-kun," Haku breathed; her voice shaky as she spoke, but it still remained soft.

Hesitantly, Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist, afraid that he would wake up from a dream as soon as he did so. But, when he felt her tears dampen his chest, he quickly tightened his hug around her as much as he could, as if she would disappear if he ever let her go. His own tears slowly escaped his now closed eyes, his face burying in her hair as the familiar and pleasant scent of flowers and herbs drifted to his nose. "I thought I would never see you again," he confessed. "You were on my mind every day and night."

Haku looked up at him, tears still slowly streaming down her face, and her voice cracking a little. "When you were gone, I was so lonely…" She paused as Naruto gently raised his hand and wiped her tears away. "Even with Zabuza-sama, the hole in my heart never disappeared. I was always sick with worry, never knowing where you were or what happened to you. And when I found out what Konoha did to you, my heart broke even further. Naruto-kun, I am so sorry…I should have never left. Especially after…"

"Shhh," Naruto whispered, placing a finger upon Haku's lips. "There was nothing you could have done. You would have had to leave Zabuza in order to stay with me, and I don't think he would even let you go. I would never make you choose…." He became more daring and laid a light kiss upon her forehead. "Even if you were able to stay with me, the outcome wouldn't have changed. I would have still left to keep my country safe, to keep the dream of my sensei alive."

Haku again buried her face in his chest, moving her hands now to clasp them tightly onto Naruto's kimono. "I could have at least been there for you," she admitted, "standing by your side."

"You are here now and that's what matters," Naruto whispered in her ear, making a pleasurable tingle go up her spine. "I'm the one that should be sorry," he admitted, making Haku's eyes widen. "I pushed you and Itachi-kun away after their deaths."

"You didn't push us away," Haku argued, now clutching onto Naruto's kimono even tighter. "You just needed time and space to grieve, Naruto-kun. I would have been just as devastated if something was to ever happen to Zabuza-sama." She looked up at him again, her eyes directly boring into his. "Neither me or Itachi-kun blamed you for how you acted, Naruto-kun. We understand." Slowly, she started to caress Naruto's cheek. "You at least came to see me to say goodbye that day I was leaving to go back to the Elemental Countries. That's more than enough for me."

Naruto slowly closed his eyes again, leaning into her gentle touch. "I don't want to ever say goodbye again, Haku-chan," he said quietly. "Not when we just found each other."

"Then come with me," Haku instantly whispered, her voice full of desperation. "Come with me and Zabuza-sama. Konoha could have just been bluffing about their threat, Naruto-kun. Surely they wouldn't go as far as to destroy a country."

Naruto opened his eyes, before they narrowed. "You don't know Konoha like I do," he said. "I've told you the stories of how I grew up there. Of how the people there are like. And every other ninja village respected Japan enough to leave it alone after the war. My country became like a sacred place. But of course, Konoha didn't see it that way. If I was to escape, that village would go to any lengths to either have me back in their clutches or kill me. That includes having the majority of their hunter-nins focused on me."

"But if you helped me and Zabuza-sama take over Kiri, then we would not have to worry about Konoha," Haku argued. "Once Zabuza-sama becomes Mizukage, Kiri could protect you and Japan from Konoha's forces."

"There would be a period of time before that happens, Haku-chan," Naruto said. "A time where all three of us would be on the run. You both would be in severe danger. Keep in mind that Konoha wouldn't be the only village seeking me out."

"A ninja's life is always full of danger," Haku said.

Naruto nodded his head. "That is true, and I know that the path towards Zabuza's goal is a danger itself," he said. "But, with me joining you both, the risk of something happening to you two is too high. _Almost guaranteed._ Too many things could go wrong. I may be strong, but I am not a god. I'm not as near as powerful as my sensei was either. There is very little chance that I could successfully protect you and Zabuza from the forces of the ninja villages."

"Zabuza-sama and I are strong too," Haku said, her voice filled with determination as her eyes narrowed. "We do not need protection, Naruto-kun."

Naruto leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers, making her eyes soften. "I know that, Haku-chan," he whispered. "But even with all our power and skills combined, there is too small of a chance that we all could make it. And the time of us being on the run could be so long that Konoha would invade Japan long before we take over Kiri. Even if we succeed, Konoha is known as the strongest village for a reason."

Haku looked down as Naruto continued. "Kiri is without any allies. It is an isolated village. However, Konoha is allied with Suna. How can Kiri defend itself and Japan from Konoha and Suna, especially when it would need time to rebuild itself after its own civil war? Suna would especially be assisting Konoha if the Leaf wanted me dead instead of captured."

Haku looked up at him once more. "Then what do we do, Naruto-kun?" she asked, her voice laced with sorrow and disappointment. "If you choose to side with Konoha, then you will eventually have to fight either me or Zabuza-sama. And he won't give up going after the bridge builder, because he needs the money he'll be paid for killing him." Her voice began to crack again. "I don't want us to be enemies…"

Naruto again tightened his hold on her, resting his forehead back on hers. "I don't want us to be enemies either, Haku-chan," he admitted softly. His next words made Haku freeze as her eyes widened in shock. "I want us to be lovers."

"N-naruto-kun" she stuttered, her heart fluttering as a light blush covered her cheeks. She felt her world spinning.

Naruto's eyes hardened, filled with determination and power. "I still remember the day we confessed our love to each other," he whispered. "We both agreed that it would be best if we remained as just friends because of the war we were in, and because we were so young. But after being away from you for so long, I don't want to remain that way anymore. I _can't _remain that way anymore." His voice became shaky after the last part.

There was a minute of complete silence, their clothes rustling as a strong gust of wind blew by, and their long hair swaying in sync with each other. Gently, Naruto parted Haku's hair that had covered her face, a result of the recent movement of air, his crystal blue eyes staring directly into soft brown ones.

"I love you…" Naruto whispered, making Haku's heart skip a beat. Now, she could barely breathe. "I know we just found each other, but I don't want to take anything for granted anymore. I don't know what to do _angel_, but we _will _eventually figure something out. Before it's too late."

And, Haku believed him. His voice was so full of conviction. So full of determination. And so full of… passion. As if it was a fact that she and him would find a solution. Like there was no other alternative. How could she not believe him?

Haku again wrapped her arms tightly around Naruto's neck, moving her face closer to his to the point where their breaths mingled with each other. "Then I know we will find a way, because I fully believe in you, Naruto-kun."

Haku closed her eyes. "And I love you." She then closed the distance between their lips, the kiss between them starting out slow and soft, before it became more passionate and heated. Naruto's eyes widened at first, his lips parting as her tongue slipped into his mouth, before he once more closed his eyes, melting into the kiss.

Both Naruto and Haku felt as if they were on cloud nine, like they were flying. Neither one of them felt such joy before, and they didn't want the moment to ever stop. The world could end at that very moment, and they wouldn't even notice. No longer did they feel any emptiness within themselves. For once, both of them felt complete. Like they found something that was always a critical and missing part of them.

A ray of sunlight shined down upon Naruto and Haku as they were finally reunited with each other, only this time the union between them was filled with the endless possibilities of their love.


	16. Chapter 16

Authors Notes: Hey guys, I just want to clear something up. First, I'm really sorry that once again I haven't updated for a long time. I've just been really busy with rl. The second thing is I have finally been able to organize the different wordings in this story, and I want you readers to know what they'll be for this chapter and so on. So, here you all go:

"**Hello boy."- **Demon or summon speech.

"Hey."- Regular speech.

'_What could he be thinking?_'- Regular thought.

_She tried to escape from his grasp, really she did. But_...- Flashback or dream.

Naruto would _kill_ Sakura, once and for all!- Placing emphasis on a word, in this case the word being, 'kill.' (Hehe, just wanted to tease my fellow Sakura haters ;) ))

And, I think that's it! Also, I would like to dedicate this chapter and the next few to all my fellow NaruxfemHaku fans! We are few but proud! :D However, besides the fluff, these chapters will also give more needed background information on the story. But, do not fret fellow lovers of evil or dark Naruto! Y'all will get your dose of chaos and mayhem soon enough. It's not as if the whole story will always be this way. Far from it actually. Oh, I almost forgot! There's a challenge on my profile. Yes, my very first one. Go check it out! :) And one more thing...I still need a beta reader -.-.

* * *

**_Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 16_**

"_Demon!"_

"_Just stay down and die fox brat!"_

"_Let's finish what the Yondaime started!"_

_Those were just a fraction of the outrageous yells behind a four-year old Naruto as he ran for dear life in Konohagakure, a bloodthirsty mob of adults right on his heels. By now, his white t-shirt and blue shorts were smeared with blood and dirt. The same held true for his short and spiky blond hair, his eyes holding a mixture of sorrow and terror._

_'What did I ever do to them?' Naruto thought frantically. 'Why does everyone hate me? Why?'_

_Today was October 10__th__, the day that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was 'defeated' by Konoha's Yondaime, their greatest hero and leader. He was arguably known as the most powerful ninja that the village ever produced. And, it was a day that Konoha lost him, along with thousands of ninjas that served the Leaf. Thus, it was also the most terrifying and painful day in the year for one Uzumaki Naruto._

_His own birthday no less._

_For on this day, the hatred of the village's populace for Naruto increased greatly, the mobs during this night of celebration being much bigger than usual and more vicious. Even in the middle of this day, there would at least be small groups of civilians and ninja that would beat on him if he ever even set foot in broad daylight. _

_Turning a corner, Naruto ran across one of the alleys that he knew, from the experience of running from people before, didn't have a dead end. He hoped to lose those that were pursuing him. However, just as he was about to reach the exit of the alley, a thrown kunai pierced his right leg, making him stumble and fall flat on his face._

_Apparently, there were ninjas in this mob too._

"_We got the little filthy thing now!"_

_Just as Naruto lifted his head up, a foot smashed into his face with so much force that he was flipped onto his back. And then that is how the torture started, the mob beating him within an inch of his life. Pipes, bats, fists, feet, and sticks, all of that was smashed into his small body, as the poor boy curled up in a ball, his teeth gritting in pain and tears flowing down his cheeks. And then sharp objects, like kitchen knives, kunai, and swords were used to stab and cut him all over. Sometimes a blade would even be twisted in his flesh as it pierced skin, causing him even more agony._

_And during all this, the little blond didn't even make a sound. It never mattered before how much Naruto begged and pleaded with the villagers and ninjas when they did this. It didn't even matter how loud he screamed. All that did was just make the villagers more satisfied, if the glee in their eyes and sick twisted smiles were any indication. And then, they would only torture him with renewed vigor._

_Suddenly, a deathly whisper echoed in the air._

_"Die..."_

_The whisper, it was so frigid, so full of malice...that it reached the ears and hearts of everyone in the alley. Instantly, the villagers and ninja stopped what they were doing, frozen in place by the enormous pressure of killer intent, their eyes wide and wavering as they stared upon a short and young thin man, probably in his late teens, with long red hair that reached halfway down his back and was tied in a ponytail. The terrifying being wore a simple dark blue kimono and white hakama pants. And his eyes…they were dead and cold with a color of amber._

"_W-what?" a Chuunin intellectually asked. "A-are you here to help us kill the d-demon?" His fear was understandable at this point, his body filling up with even more terror when the pressure of the killer intent rolling off the red-haired man greatly increased.  
_

_In response, the stranger slowly, ever so slowly, removed his sword from the sheath attached to the left side of his waist, the slicing sound of it moving being ominous to anyone within hearing range._

_Naruto's eyes closed as he laid still on the dirty ground of the alley, his little heart starting to beat slower. The last thing he heard were screams of terror and pain as he finally succumbed to the comfortable embrace of darkness, his final thoughts only revolving around those cold orbs of amber._

Like a lightning bolt, Naruto sat straight up in his bed, panting hard as cold sweat glistened off his toned body in waves. Noticing that some of his long hair was sticking to his face, he brushed it off his skin, moving his legs to the side of the bed until his feet touched the ground. Bending down, he placed his face in his hands, still panting hard as his eyes remained widened in shock and fear.

'_I haven't dreamed of that moment in a very long time...'_

After a little while, Naruto stood up from his bed, trying to get readjusted to his surroundings. He was in a small guest room. At the start of the mission, Kakashi had decided Naruto would have a bedroom all to himself, most likely because of some stupid shit like, 'not wanting the demon's presence to further taint the last Uchiha and a council woman's daughter.' The Jounin didn't seem to even want Tazuna and any of the man's family sleeping in the same room with the blond-haired samurai. However, Naruto couldn't help but wonder why Kakashi didn't just attempt to order him to sleep outside?

Oh well, who ever thought there would be advantages to having a bigoted and idiotic so-called sensei?

The bed Naruto slept on was in the center of the room, up against the left wall from the doorway, while a small desk and chair was in a corner of the room near the left side of the bed. On the center of the wall adjacent to the left side of the bed, a window, at the very least big enough for a person to slip through, was left open, exposing the sights and sounds of midnight as a cool breeze soothed Naruto's skin, his only clothes at the moment being a black pair of boxers.

After stretching his limbs for a few seconds, Naruto noticed his journal laying down on the small desk. It was one of the many things he had put in a sealing scroll and brought with him. Deciding that he didn't have anything better to do, and the fact he didn't think he could fall back asleep, he went over to the desk and sat down on the chair behind it. Lighting an old candle beside the little book, with a box of matches he found laying by it, he opened the journal, took a writing utensil, and began writing about his day, as well as the many thoughts swirling around his mind. This was an activity that his real sensei got him into, ever since the beginning of his training as a Japanese samurai.

After about twenty minutes of writing in his journal, Naruto felt a pair of slender arms wrap around his neck, and hot breath tickling his ear with a whisper...

"Naruto-kun…"

The blond samurai stopped writing and closed his eyes, leaning his head back until it laid against a soft shoulder. He couldn't help but shiver at the feeling of her touch and breath upon his ear, a pleasurable tingle spreading throughout his body as his heartbeat increased drastically by just being near her. He had sensed this girl long before she had even got into his room, but he knew, as if by instinct, that she would never try anything against him. She was the only person left in the whole world that he trusted with his life, even despite the different sides they were currently on.

Naruto released a slow sigh. "You shouldn't be here, Haku-chan."

Haku didn't respond, instead choosing to lay butterfly kisses across Naruto's exposed neck. After a minute of this, much to their enjoyment, Haku again moved her mouth near Naruto's ear. "I really missed you, my love," she whispered. "I felt tortured without you beside me."

A soft smile graced Naruto's lips, making Haku smile in return, her heart fluttering with joy. She absolutely loved it when he smiled, especially when it was her that caused it. However, she guessed that he would only smile around her, given what he told her so far of his experience being back in Konoha and his so-called team. For the past month, her and Naruto had met each other every morning at the same spot where their hearts became one, that being in a forest under a canopy. After that, they would usually get the chance to spend almost the whole day together, given the fact Kakashi didn't care what Naruto did as long as he didn't jeopardize the mission. As for Haku, Zabuza allowed her to spend most of her time with Naruto, since he wanted the girl to eventually recruit the powerful Genin to his side.

Little did both of the Jounin level shinobi know though that their _weapons_ were more interested in getting lost in each other.

Walking to the left of Naruto's side, Haku sat down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head upon his shoulder. The only sign that she noticed his lack of clothing was the slight blush on her cheeks, though Naruto polietly didn't comment on it. Her eyes than focused on the journal laying on the desk. "I see you still write in that old thing."

Naruto's eyes briefly scanned over Haku's appearance, which consisted of her hunter-nin outfit, except she had her mask attached to her waist, her hair kept in a bun as two thick strands of it fell down at the sides of her face. Snapping his eyes back to her's, he chuckled, his laugh soft like wind chimes. "Of course I do." His smile then became sad, his eyes refocusing on the journal. "It's one of the few things I bought for myself during my life in Japan. It reminds me of home."

Haku smiled sadly in return, tightening her embrace around him. "I understand, Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked back at Haku's face, his expression slowly becoming serious as his eyes conveyed the amount of love he held for her. Slowly, he leaned in and brushed his lips upon the top of her head, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. "I'm more happy for having you though, Haku-chan."

Haku smiled softly in reply, a gentle and quiet giggle escaping her lips, causing a pleasant sensation to spread from Naruto's abdomen to the rest of his body. "I should hope that I'm more important to you than an old rusty book, Naruto-kun." Her eyes then locked with his, gazing lovingly.

Naruto couldn't help but smile back, something she always seemed able to make him do. "How could you not be?" he replied, before he leaned his forehead against her's, his voice becoming just a whisper. "When my whole world surrounds you."

Frozen by his words, Haku blinked in surprise, taking a deep shuddering breath. "Do...do you really mean that?"

All traces of emotion suddenly left Naruto's face, the young blond becoming fully still and serious once again. "Yes," he answered, his crystal blue orbs burning with a fierce passion. "With every fiber of my being."

For a full minute, Naruto and Haku just stared at each other, their forms completely silent and unmoving in the dimly lit room, before Haku's shoulders began to tremble, her hold upon him tightening even more as tears welled up in her eyes and slowly trickled down her cheek. Even after all this time, the concept of someone caring for her so much was foreign to her. She was more used to being thought of as a weapon. As something nothing more than to be used in battle and then thrown away when broken. So hearing Naruto's words, sounding so loving and truthful, it made her feel a torrent of emotions that were still new to her, feelings of sweet relief and being truly wanted, no, _needed_. But mostly...

She felt pure and undiluted happiness, her love and devotion towards Naruto filling her as those same feelings given off by Naruto were returned. And then she pulled his head down and kissed him, with all her heart and soul, pouring in every bit of her passion and might upon the connection of their lips. Closing her eyes, she raised a hand to his cheek, gently caressing it before momentarily biting his bottom lip, granting her more access as a soft gasp escaped his mouth.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, taken back by Haku's sudden move, his surprise only lasting a few seconds before his eyes closed and he kissed her back, deeply and tenderly. After a few minutes of this, they finally separated from their kiss, still holding each other closely while their eyes were half-lidded, their heavy breathing being the only sound they heard as they couldn't focus on anything but each other.

When she was finally able to get her breath back under control and heart to stop pounding, Haku snuggled into Naruto's shoulder, closing her eyes. "Thank you so much, Naruto-koi," she finally said, smiling warmly. Her next words then rocked his world. "You're my everything..."

Naruto felt a major rush of heat reach his face at his lover's words, a rare feeling of security and warmth bursting from his chest so suddenly that his vision started to spin a little, before he smiled. Sliding the chair back, he stood up, carrying Haku bridal style, and walked back to his bed. Laying her down gently on one of side of the small mattress, her petite body leaving plenty of room, he laid down on the other side, looking at her as their faces were inches apart.

For an hour, they just laid there, very content with each others presence and the peaceful sounds of the night wildlife coming from the open window, hypnotized by each others gaze as their bodies remained entangled. Finally, Naruto leaned forward and placed a light kiss upon Haku's nose, receiving an soft giggle in return, before she snuggled closer to him.

"You're at Kage level," Naruto suddeny whispered, breaking the long lasting silence.

It wasn't a question.

"I knew you were already aware of it, ever since our first meeting after your last fight with Zabuza-sama." Haku replied, not missing a beat. "I still remember that Japanese samurai are able to determine the skill of others by sensing their ki levels, so I didn't even bother to mention it." Tilting her head a little, she once again smiled. "And I'm at the same level you are, barely low Kage level, so I'm no longer the weakest of our old team."

Naruto nodded in response. "It's not surprising. I always expected you would soon reach my level or rise above it, since you always were the most talented kunoichi I've ever met. One who knew the meaning of hard work."

Haku leaned in and gave his mouth a small peck. "You tend to underestimate yourself, Naruto-kun." Seeing he was about to speak, she placed a finger upon his lips, copying what he did to her a month ago. "Don't forget that I'm older and you still match me in skill and power, not to mention I was nowhere near your level when I was your age."

Naruto kissed her finger, receiving a giggle in response as Haku withdrew it. "I had real teammates, an amazing sensei, and a loving sister" he said. "Without you all, I would have been nothing."

Snuggling into his chest, Haku closed her eyes, taking a moment to enjoy breathing in his scent. "The same goes for me, Naruto-koi. Without any of you and Zabuza-sama, I don't know what would have eventually become of me."

Naruto looked down at Haku for a few seconds, before he sighed and rested his chin on top of her head. "But here we are, my angel, in each others arms." Smiling, he nuzzled her hair a little. "Just as it should be."

A smile graced Haku's face at Naruto's words. "Yes, as it should be, my love." For a few minutes, the room was empty of any voices, before it was Haku this time that broke the silence. "Zabuza-sama isn't aware that I'm at Kage level."

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. "Is it because of how prideful he is?"

Haku's eyes snapped wide open, surprised at how accurate his guess was. "Well..." she started, trying to find a better word for it, before finally she just gave up. "Yes, it is. It is true that Zabuza-sama expects me to eventually surpass him when I become much older, but I don't know how he would handle the fact that I'm already at a higher level than him at my current age." Her eyes then saddened. "I'm too scared to tell him."

Suddenly, Naruto's body became tense, his eyes narrowing and morphing into a menacing color of amber, unseen by Haku as her face still remained buried in his chest.. "Does...he ever hurt you?" he asked, his voice chilling.

Haku couldn't help the shiver of fear that went down her spine at the sound of his voice. It was so _cold. _So very _cruel. _

It wasn't him at all.

The raven-haired kunoichi knew his kekkei genkai must have activated. She needed to calm him down immediately, as the temperature in the room was drastically dropping. Snuggling into him even more, she spoke to him as calmly as she could. "No, Naruto-kun. Zabuza-sama has never hurt me and never will, just like I've told you before." Lifting her head to look at his expression, she caught a flash of amber orbs before they returned to crystal blue, but she still decided to continue. "I wasn't saying he would try to hurt me if he ever found out I was more powerful than him. I just meant I was afraid he would become really disappointed in himself, wallowing in an overwhelming feeling of failure."

The current Battousai took a deep breath before slowly exhaling, his body returning to its previous relaxed state. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "My kekkei genkai doesn't usually activate that easily."

Haku snuggled back into Naruto's chest, hiding the worried expression on her face. "How long has it been this unstable?" she asked, feeling his body stiffen. "I remember you telling me you could never control it, not even Kenshin-sama. That it only activates during situations where you feel an extreme amount of hatred or you're in a life and death situation."

For a moment, Naruto was really quiet before finally answering. "Ever since my arrival in Konoha."

At her lover's words, Haku couldn't hold back her deep sigh. She was afraid of what his answer would be to her next question. "Has it caused any problems yet?"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably on the bed, his next pause of silence deafening. "No," he finally answered. "No problems at all."

Haku wasn't satisfied with how he replied, but she decided not to push that issue...for now. There was a more important one to be dealt with. "But hatred has been taking over inside you, hasn't it?"

Naruto felt his heart clench at his angel's words, so full of dread and sorrow. He could do nothing more but close his eyes, not wanting to see the utter disappointment and horror on Haku's face. "I'm sorry."

Lifting her head again, Haku locked her gaze with Naruto's closed eyes, their faces only inches apart once more. "Look at me," she said firmly, but her voice remained as calm as ever. Slowly, Naruto's blue orbs appeared in her vision, projecting for the world to see that he was in fact expecting rejection. Haku was surprised by this. Did he really think she would reject him so easily? After how long they've known each other and everything they've gone through? How ridiculous! Well, she would fix that right now. "It's ok, Naruto-kun." she whispered, her hot breath washing over his face and causing his heartbeat to increase dramatically. "We'll work through this together. As a team, like we've always done."

Stunned and washed with relief, Naruto could only stare at Haku with widened eyes. "I...I don't know what to say..." he breathed.

"You don't have to say anything, Naruto-koi," Haku interrupted, smiling slightly as she lifted her hand and stroked his cheek. "You don't have to say anything at all. You're my beloved. My treasure. And as I said before, my _everything._" Haku's face then took on a serious expression, her voice becoming as hard as stone. "I will _never_ abandon you, despite what Zabuza-sama thinks!"

Nartuo's eyes widened even more, his mind trying to comprehend the fact Haku had just admitted she would even go against _Zabuza,_ someone who held her complete loyalty and devotion, just for him. Sure, deep in his heart he knew before that she would despite how much it would pain her to do so, but it was another thing to actually hear her say it. "Thank you," he whispered, feeling truly honored, but most of all...he felt completely loved. "Thank you for everything, my angel."

Haku smiled at her lover's cute name for her. Oh, how she loved it when he called her that. "You are very welcome, Naruto-koi." Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek. "Now, why don't you get some sleep? I'll lay down here until you awaken at your usual time."

Smiling, Naruto nodded his head and relaxed, fully content with the world at the moment, his eyes slowly closing. And before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.

For the rest of the early morning, Haku just laid there and watched as Naruto slept, listening to his steady breathing and watching the rise and fall of his chest. She couldn't help but enjoy the utter look of peace on his handsome face, like he had no worries at all and everything was right with the world. Perhaps...perhaps things could be like that in reality someday. But for right now, she could only lay here and hope, settling for watching his peaceful slumber.

By the time Naruto awoke again, he was alone in his room, the only sign of Haku even being there were the wrinkles left on the bed where she used to lay.


End file.
